This one had a storyline that held together very well, though I admit to getting lost in the history between two feuding families. I was more upset thThis one had a storyline that held together very well, though I admit to getting lost in the history between two feuding families. I was more upset than I should have been, perhaps, to learn of the death of a promising scholar, who was well-liked, industrious and independently wealthy. To say nothing of beautiful. It is an unusual combination of traits.
The death, too, was a little hard to believe, in that there were several people involved in the planning, and it all hinged on a physical reaction they'd never seen actually manifest before they tried it, at night, with lots of people around...whatever. It worked, and was a devil trying to discover who had done it and if it actually WAS murder.
I liked how most everyone made a reprise at the end and showed up to a party at which Amélie sang Josephine Baker in the moonlight......more
This one. With this I wish I had the chance to ask the author why his local friend, the Irishman who rented homes to vacationers, Paddy or something, This one. With this I wish I had the chance to ask the author why his local friend, the Irishman who rented homes to vacationers, Paddy or something, was not featured. This had a far flung storyline that encompassed a huge number of storylines and involved the whole contingent of higher-ups. Bruno got a promotion (!!) and a pay raise and was still able to defy direct orders that bypassed his immediate supervisor. Pretty strong hold on his responsibilities, our Bruno, and destined for greater things.
Gruesome death that saddened me more than it should have--I guess I am not used anymore to hear of people dying for what appears to be no good reason...which brings me back to my quibble with the author. I am not sure we ever got the full story on who killed whom and why...it feels like short shrift for such a heinous crime....more
Bruno now has so many wounds, he must look like he is put together with thread. But that is getting ahead of myself.
Jihadists come to France to find tBruno now has so many wounds, he must look like he is put together with thread. But that is getting ahead of myself.
Jihadists come to France to find the Testament of Iftikhar, a document believed to express that Islam did not consider Jersualem to be important to their faith. It sounds suspicious, given what we know of history, but some people believed such a document existed. And they were willing to torture and kill to prevent it being found.
Bruno is in the midst of the action along with his sidekick for a fortnight, Amélie from Paris, all color, dark skin and gorgeous voice. But Amélie has eyes only for Yacov, the Israeli Parisian lawyer whose mother financed a scout camp in an earlier episode. And so it goes, the mysteries of attraction among the French.
The abiding love some people have for automobiles is on display in this portion of the series. It deserves to be here because clearly France is all abThe abiding love some people have for automobiles is on display in this portion of the series. It deserves to be here because clearly France is all about 'la amour' and that comes in many colors and shapes, whether mechanical or not. I withhold a star in my rating merely because the ending was rushed and incomplete. Many mysteries are incomplete, but not quite to this extent. I always expect the 'thief who got away' to show up in a subsequent story, but so far, they never have.
A beautiful Bugatti, one of only four made in the history of the company, was lost during the war while traveling from a southern French city to a northern one. Many wondered where it had gone, and only at the end do we discover its fate.
In the meantime, Bruno takes a new lover (again!), and I am not going to tell you the outcome, but consider his record with women...
A young boy who is getting into trouble in town is taken in hand and becomes a hero! with untold skills that may one day make him rich in friends and family, if not in cash.
This was ably done and played to our love of gossip, even as we protest we care nothing for the lives of celebrities. In this, Bruno came dangerously This was ably done and played to our love of gossip, even as we protest we care nothing for the lives of celebrities. In this, Bruno came dangerously close to having his lifetime hero unveiled, but fortunately, he was spare that indignity.
A breathtakingly beautiful woman made ALL the men fall in love with her, even the usually resistant Bruno, and we enjoyed his pleasure in a night he would never forget. But then the central mystery of the death of a friend of 'The Patriarch' comes into focus and we let go of any illusions.
I think I may have an objection to Pamela, Bruno's one-time lover, who seems to have "set him free," for an uncertain future. ...more
This was a very successful part of the series, showing us the difference in the way the French deal with terrorist threats as compared to the AmericanThis was a very successful part of the series, showing us the difference in the way the French deal with terrorist threats as compared to the Americans. I really enjoyed the premise: an autistic boy who happened to have a particular skill with mathematics, electronics, etc is recruited to a Taliban cell in Afghanistan, unbeknownst to his parents. When he returns...he is already well known in the West by his nickname, "The Engineer."
An American consular attache who also happens to be an FBI agent, is seconded to St. Denis to debrief the returned boy/man. Yet another romantic entanglement for our busy Bruno... ...more
The Bruno novels are a glimpse into provincial life in France and for that, I am grateful. This particular novel about a resistance fighter, who alwayThe Bruno novels are a glimpse into provincial life in France and for that, I am grateful. This particular novel about a resistance fighter, who always suspected someone had made off with millions of francs from a bombed train, didn't hold together as well as others Walker has created. But it introduced some interesting and perplexing characters...an American academic who I am having a hard time assessing. I prefer, I think, a more clear cut view of their morality or culpability.
We had another foreign resident of St Denis introduced--a man who appeared to have ties to British intelligence who was burgled for his collection of household antiques, but which raised questions about the source of his interest in France......more
I am enjoying the every-day-ness of the Bruno mysteries. The Devil's Cave was particularly gruesome and sad with some unexplained family dynamics, butI am enjoying the every-day-ness of the Bruno mysteries. The Devil's Cave was particularly gruesome and sad with some unexplained family dynamics, but the dynastic range of family names in France was well on display. Some startling revelations make us question what we knew of some familiar characters, in a way that makes us dislike them a little, perhaps.
Lots to think about when it comes to choosing how we want to live, who to love and how puppies make life better. ...more
This was convoluted and I am quite sure I reviewed this already, but anyway, it propelled me to the next in the series. I am a sucker sometimes for caThis was convoluted and I am quite sure I reviewed this already, but anyway, it propelled me to the next in the series. I am a sucker sometimes for calm. And while there are some gruesome deaths detailed in the novels, somehow we can clearly see that Bruno has it all in hand....more
I thought I already reviewed this, but I do not see my review here. I first read this back in May or June of 2024 and have been racing through the resI thought I already reviewed this, but I do not see my review here. I first read this back in May or June of 2024 and have been racing through the rest since then. Food, policing, friends, the market, the daily life of a small French city near Périgord identifies the flavor. International friendships keep it from being too cruel or claustrophobic. Bruno is a humanist....more
Somehow this came up while I am reading through the series. The cave title that is part of the series can't be located in my library system...so, therSomehow this came up while I am reading through the series. The cave title that is part of the series can't be located in my library system...so, there.
Anyway, this was an interesting and daring way to present the material about caves in the Périgord. There are three timelines: one some 17,000 years ago, one during WWII, and one present day. A cave painting is found on a chip of rock and it has the art historians in a tizzy. It is an unusual and very beautiful example of a style found in France and Spain...but different.
There is the story of how the painting came to be, how the painting was discovered and then hidden for decades, and how it was uncovered again.
Walker managed to pull it off, but it was a close-run thing....more
Liking this series more and more. Can get involved enough that I do not feel I am wasting time. Love the French language everywhere, forcing me to GooLiking this series more and more. Can get involved enough that I do not feel I am wasting time. Love the French language everywhere, forcing me to Google pronunciations and meanings. This is also a complicated story of past terrorism in Europe...one that almost lost me several times. France's relationship to the Basque freedom movement, and the pan-European communist movements are at the forefront. Brutal, secretive, post-individual movements that have no pity.
Bruno once again puts his township at the center of his concerns and enjoys the company of his animals, lovers, hunting and drinking partners. ...more
Who woulda thought Black Diamond was not about skiing but instead about truffles? This mystery veered into danger territory when the author decided toWho woulda thought Black Diamond was not about skiing but instead about truffles? This mystery veered into danger territory when the author decided to talk about several threads at once, clearly not at ease with the Asian portion.
Market stall owners of Asian descent are set upon by Asians of different nationalities and the immigration/fakes/drugs issues that crop up are all thrown in for flavor. The complicated nature of the relationships threaten to overcome the slow pace of Saint Denis but somehow Bruno manages to come out on top once again.
The similarly complicated relationship between Pamela and Bruno presents choices I wouldn't make the way they do, I don't thin change that might be necessary. Wrenching change is offset by pleasant additions to the character list, like Hector....more
I just inhaled this--it was so good. Not used to reading novels these past few years, at first I found the chapters just slightly too long. But I soonI just inhaled this--it was so good. Not used to reading novels these past few years, at first I found the chapters just slightly too long. But I soon settled in and I just loved the characterizations, the language, the descriptions of heat, the language, the handcrafts of the main characters, the language, the immediate sense of danger one gets from a father returning home and from having a teenager in the house.
I should have kept her first book in the series because I wanted to go back and reread it, to enjoy it once again. I loved that one, too, and we don't absolutely need the first to understand the second, but one wants to enjoy the full span of it, the American settling in to a small Irish town. It is a little painful. French gets everything right in this, I thought...she pulls us this way and that and the end is a total surprise and unexpected, though we knew it wasn't working out the way the headlights were pointed.
This short shots series is really a great idea. It is basically a book-length short story or a short story with the heft of a novel. It is easy to seeThis short shots series is really a great idea. It is basically a book-length short story or a short story with the heft of a novel. It is easy to see Jassy Mackenzie's influence and it is because of her great thriller-writing skill that I picked this one up. I'd like to ask her why she didn't write another, and if I were to guess...but I shouldn't speculate. I have been wrong before.
This shows South Africa's crime scene, and it is terrifying to contemplate. Parts of major cities that are completely lawless, and one cannot even drive through, or stop one's car for fear of hijacking. But this also looks at the illegal gold mining that takes place and the dangers of mines that are officially closed but still being used by unscrupulous bosses with trafficked workers from elsewhere.
I've never read any Patterson, so the muscular feel may be his influence, but there is a strong female character that saves it from being a vehicle for the tall dark green-eyed body guard....more
What a masterful police procedural this is. Rendell wrote this in the 1980s, shortly after China opened to the West. She beautifully captures the oddiWhat a masterful police procedural this is. Rendell wrote this in the 1980s, shortly after China opened to the West. She beautifully captures the oddities of train travel and life under Communist Party rule, the humid heat of Guangzhou and the strange beauty of the southern mountains in the city of Guilin.
Shortly after the return of famed police Chief Inspector Wexford to England, deaths among those he’d met while traveling in China ties their lives together once again. Rendell was in her fifties and at the height of her powers when she wrote this book and it shows in every sentence. She somehow makes star-crossed love stories believable and the chintz-upholstered, heavily-draped world of the wealthy in England accessible.
Rendell died in 2015 but she remains one of Britain’s mystery greats....more
Jassy Mackenzie has an adrenaline-fueled writing style that makes portions of her novels difficult to put down and this is a perfect example. There isJassy Mackenzie has an adrenaline-fueled writing style that makes portions of her novels difficult to put down and this is a perfect example. There is often a sexy thread, too, that weaves through the piece…will she or won’t she? But while this title and a couple of Mackenzie’s other novels focus on environmental crimes, this novel feints and gives us a national security and industrial crime: nuclear waste that can be used for weapons.
The central mystery telegraphed to me early, so I read mostly to see how Mackenzie drew it out and for the pleasure of reading her on South Africa again. It is really all local action since the national security aspect takes a second seat, serving only to bump the case to a high enough level to involve de Jong’s love interest, David Patel.
But we are thrown a curve ball with several people seeming to be good choices as bad guys…only to have them turn up dead. We are thoroughly confused as to who is handling the local plant sabotage and who is handling the international transport of the really dangerous nuclear byproduct. A much different book could have come from all this, but I was just as happy to stay in South Africa.
Mackenzie introduced us earlier to a tangential character that she fills in with affectionate strokes in this novel, Warrant Officer Mweli. When Mweli is threatened late in the action, I found myself praying she’ll get through it. I’d love to see her developed further in future books, but this may be the end of the road for Mackenzie, as it was published in 2017 and is the last so far in the series. (I hope not.)
Mackenzie does have another series, apparently, not all available in the U.S. In 2020 Mackenzie published an erotic novella called Switch, but there are others: Soaring (2016), Drowning (2016) and Folly (2013). So, she's still working. Good news for us.
By the way, Mackenzie also had an influence on my interest in handguns. I find myself seeking pictures of different makes to get an idea of size, weight and accuracy. Maybe I’ll have tried a few at the range by the time Jade de Jong is back online....more
We go to the eastern coast north of Durban in this novel, to Richards Bay. Jade is meant to meet her lover David Patel there by the golden sands and iWe go to the eastern coast north of Durban in this novel, to Richards Bay. Jade is meant to meet her lover David Patel there by the golden sands and in preparation Jade takes scuba diving lessons. I found myself unnecessarily jealous of this fictional setup.
Shortly, as is usual for Ms. de Jong, people start dying. And not just dying, but being horribly slain and everyone is looking around for a culprit. In this particular novel, far-flung characters are somehow connected, though just how this is so does not become apparent until the very end.
{spoiler alert} (view spoiler)[ The third in the Jade de Jong series is my least favorite of this series. Mackenzie was stretched in this one, and just barely made it all come together at the end. Also, sorry to say, she told us early in the novel that animals and plants were not her forte, similarly to her father. She knew every brand and type of shooting instrument, but the natural world was not her area of expertise.
So Jade’s understanding of the destruction of the natural world in this novel about crimes to the environment might be perceived as ‘thin.’ We forgive her because she is perfectly willing to admit she knows nothing. Her real horror is reserved for the possibility that the golden sands might no longer be available to hard working cops and business owners rather than for the sea creatures including, ahem, reptiles like leatherback turtles. (hide spoiler)]
It is hard to retain any sense of superiority when Mackenzie writes a smackdown like this stunning description:
"Most of the cars had GP number plates and were also heading west, holiday over, back to Gauteng. Grim-faced at the prospect of returning to world, with their tank tops and shorts revealing deep sun tans and post-holiday flab. Arms as bloated and brown as cooked sausages, feet slapping along in flip-flop sandals. Kids trailing behind them, bored, restless and yelling."
Don’t know about you, but I feel like I am there.
I got a bit lost in the description of the central crime, and I kept losing track of who the bad guys were. But heck, I hope Mackenzie had fun researching this one because Richards Bay sounds gorgeous....more
This tour de force by a celebrated veteran of Swedish police dramas in the van Veeteren series drips along so slowly…like an icicle melting in freezinThis tour de force by a celebrated veteran of Swedish police dramas in the van Veeteren series drips along so slowly…like an icicle melting in freezing temps…that one might be forgiven for thinking the police were doing nothing at all to catch the mysterious killer of a young boy.
And really, they weren’t. Another two murders started to put the wind up and made them look back…but look how easy it would have been to overlook all the clues that would have led them to the killer of the boy. If one of the murdered wasn’t former Chief Inspector Van Veeteren’s son, I think we can safely say an opportunistic mass murderer would have gone free.
The involvement of the now-retired Van Veeteren added to the misty hard-to-get a clear angle on the case, and yet everyone in the station was on their best behavior to solve this case “for the chief.” The chief was, at best, ambivalent about the death of his son, who was recovered from a history of addiction. The scourge of drug addiction broke relationships and a life that barely had gotten started.
So, we are aware of the killer’s motives, actions, plans but we have no way to signal the same to the police. We grow increasingly anxious as the killer seems to have one solution to people finding out about his crime: kill them. Bodies keep accumulating and finally, finally, a clue is found that links the victims. It is the terrible tension that keeps us involved…how long can this go on and what on earth will be the thing to unravel the whole?
The writing and translation are stellar. There is one piece I must recount here:
“On Wednesday, December 9, it was 50 or so degrees, and the sky was high and bright. The sun seemed to be surprised, almost embarrassed at having to display itself in all its somewhat faded nudity.”
Hour of the Wolf ends with a scene in New York, and Nesser captures the cold December feel and the vastness that is New York. Chief Inspector Reinhart of Maardam stayed on the 24th floor of Trump Tower (!) with a view to the north and east of Manhattan. He describes how inhospitable it seemed in the chilly fall weather when the sun set early. (This was long before Trump ran for office, so Nesser had his finger on the pulse.)
First published in 1999, this can already be considered an old one, one of the last of the Van Veeteren series which were still being written, translated and published into the 2000s. Håkan Nesser won the Best Swedish Crime Novel Award three times and prestigious the Glass Key Award once. Around 2006, Nesser moved to Greenwich Village in New York for a couple of years where a new series featuring a Swedish police inspector with Italian roots, Inspector Gunnar Barbarotti, was published.
Nesser’s oeuvre is Scandi classic. Read them all....more
The second of Jassy Mackenzie’s Jade de Jong series is a big book: she opens her narrative to several countries and many seemingly unrelated cases. ThThe second of Jassy Mackenzie’s Jade de Jong series is a big book: she opens her narrative to several countries and many seemingly unrelated cases. The focus is trafficking of women across borders and the story is a desperate one for many unfortunate characters.
Mackenzie manages to capture the work style of every one we meet, from the school principal to the small time bureaucrat and seller of false documents. Even the nicely-dressed and -spoken man who delivers ultimatums about getting fake documents on time is believable, partly because he backs up his threats with action.
There is a particularly memorable scene that shares the experience of minibus taxi-riding in South Africa:
"The taxi driver was busy peeling a banana with his knee propped against the wheel. While he ate the fruit, he conducted an animated conversation with the man in the passenger seat. Lots of unbroken eye contact, reminding Jade of the way David liked to drive.
When he had finished, the taxi driver flung the banana skin out of the window and, still steering with his knee, began to peel an orange.
The vehicle felt wallowy on the road, its uneven progress a testimony to ancient shocks, balding tires, brakes worn down to the rim."
This novel exhibits horrific violence against those who are thought to threaten the system but again, as in previous Mackenzie novels, the pace is blistering. We can’t stop reading even if we want to. This novel particularly had great impetus that led us to a shocking conclusion.
This novel raised my opinion of Mackenzie’s skills even higher and I am thoroughly hooked now and must finish the series. I have already checked to see if there are any more novels in her oeuvre and I am surprised and disheartened to see she may have gone back to her day job. Her character development and braided story lines are far more accomplished than most and I certainly hope she is well compensated for giving up novel writing, if indeed she has.
What she really needs is a film contract for a limited TV series. Her characters and themes rock out loud and are way suitable for a diverse audience....more
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