Back in January I laid out my 2026 Reading Challenge in a post. The Challenge was broken into two challenges. The first was to read 66 books. While the second categorized the proposed reads by both source and type of book.
Here are my proposed February–March 2026 reads. Both the Reed Farrel Coleman and William Kent Kreuger books are carry-overs from last month. Mainly because I read Departure 37 and Nemesis instead. Both of those books had been sitting on my Library TBR shelf for a few months! The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer– Ragnar Jonasson has a;so been on my shelves for a while – it’s time to read it!
Here’s how these proposed reads break down by category:
While Reed Farrel Coleman is not a new author to me I read Redemption Street the second book in his Moe Prager series back in 2010. I haven’t read a Moe Prager since then, although I wish I had. Hopefully I won’t make the same mistake with this series!
Since all of the Cork O’Connor books from William Kent Krueger are great. I’m sure this one will be great as well!
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer– Ragnar Jonasson
Ragnar Jonasson is one of my favorite author’s. The book is an Icelandic tribute to Agatha Christie
From the TBR Shelves Category
Favorite Mystery/ Thriller Series
Winter House – Carol O’Connell
Winter House marks a return to Carol O’Connell’s Mallory series. It’s one of only two books in the series I never got around to reading, so this feels less like a reread and more like filling in a long-standing gap.
E-Book
The Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes– David Handler
I haven’t read David Handler since the 1990s, when I read one earlier book in the series (book two). With nearly a twenty-year gap between book eight and this one, it’s no wonder he slipped off my radar. This feels like a genuine rediscovery.
Wish Me Luck and Check Back to see How I’m Doing! You can Check My Overall Progress Here
Dennis Lehane wrote the first five Kenzie & Gennaro books between 1994 and 1999. I didn’t discover these books until 2002. However, once I did I read all five books in the first four months of 2002! I had to wait 8 more years until he wrote book 6 in the series! Check it out here!
Needless to say I can’t recommend these books highly enough!
A Drink Before the War – Kenzie & Gennaro #1
A Drink Before the War was my introduction to the gritty, dark world of Boston PIs Kenzie and Gennaro. my post-read thoughts……
From My Reading Journal.
Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro Boston PIs investigating some disappearing documents – leads to child pornography and gang warfare. Great characters. I can’t wait to find another……
From Goodreads (for Context)
Kenzie and Gennaro are private investigators in the blue-collar neighborhoods and ghettos of South Boston-they know it as only natives can. Working out of an old church belfry, Kenzie and Gennaro take on a seemingly simple assignment for a prominent politician: to uncover the whereabouts of Jenna Angeline, a black cleaning woman who has allegedly stolen confidential state documents. Finding Jenna, however, is easy compared to staying alive once they’ve got her. The investigation escalates, implicating members of Jenna’s family and rival gang leaders while uncovering extortion, assassination, and child prostitution extending from bombed-out ghetto streets to the highest levels of government. More at Goodreads
Read in February of 2002 and it didn’t take long! In March on 20th of 2002 I read DarknesTake My Hand
Lehane won the Shamus Award for Best First Novel for A Drink Before the War
Darkness Take My Hand – Kenzie & Gennaro #2
From My Reading Journal:
For whatever reason my only comment was Another Kenzie and Gennaro book
From Goodreads:
For Master of new noir Dennis Lehane magnificently evokes the dignity and savagery of working-class Boston in Darkness, Take My Hand, a terrifying tale of redemption.
Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro’s latest client is a prominent Boston psychiatrist, running scared from a vengeful Irish mob. The private investigators know about cold-blooded retribution. Born and bred on the mean streets of blue-collar Dorchester, they’ve seen the darkness that lives in the hearts of the unfortunate. More at Goodreads
The novel was a finalist for the 1997 Dilys Award.
I finished Book #2 on March 2oth of 20002 and started the next book on the same day!
Sacred – Kenzie & Gennaro #3
From My Reading Journal:
Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are hired to find the daughter of Desiree Stone by Trevor Stone.- gone to greif counseling over the death of her mother and boyfriend – along the was PI Jay Becker dies – good couldn’t put down the book! again the characters are great.
Goodreads Description (for context):
Dying billionaire Trevor Stone hires private detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro to find his missing daughter. Grief-stricken over the death of her mother and the impending death of her father, Desiree Stone has been missing for three weeks. so has the first investigator Stone hired to find her: Jay Becker, Patrick’s mentor.
Patrick and Angie are led down a trail of half-truths and corruption where nothing is what it seems as the detectives travel from the windblown streets of Boston to the sizzling beaches of Florida’s Gulf coast. And the more Patrick and Angie discover, the more they realize that on this case any wrong step will certainly be their last. More at Goodreads
Oops I read the next book I read was Book 5 instead of Book 4 –
Prayers for Rain – Kenzie & Gennaro # 5
From My Reading Journal
Patrick aqnd Angie face aPsychological destroyer.fter ex-client Karen Wright takes a off the top of a building, Bubba and the two take on the madman. But Who’s behind it all?
Goodreads Description (for context):
When Boston private investigator Patrick Kenzie meets Karen Nichols, she strikes him as an innocent from a protected upbringing. But six months later when Karen takes her own life, Patrick is left wondering what can change so drastically and so quickly that suicide seems the only option?
Through the final weeks of a stifling summer, and with the help of his ex-partner, Angela Gennaro, and his friend, the lethally unbalanced Bubba Rogowski, Patrick enters into psychological warfare with a brilliant sociopath who, instead of merely killing his victims, prefers to make them wish they were dead. More at Goodreads
I read my next book in May of 2002 and I went backwards from book # 5 to book #4
Gone, Baby , Gone – Kenzie & Gennaro #4
From My Reading Journal
Amanda McGready kidnapped gone! Angela and Patrick trace it back to a cop who snatches baby’s for others – many twists and turns. good characters – good book!
Goodreads Description (for context):
In this “absolutely gripping” ( Chicago Tribune ) thriller, New York Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane vividly captures the complex beauty and darkness of working-class Boston. The tough neighborhood of Dorchester is no place for the innocent or the weak. Its territory is defined by hard heads and even harder luck; its streets are littered with the detritus of broken families, hearts, and dreams. Now one of its youngest is missing. Private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro don’t want the case. But after pleas from the child’s aunt, they open an investigation that will ultimately risk everything—their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives—to find a little girl lost. More at Goodreads
Moonlight Mile – Kenzie & Gennaro Book #6
After an eight-year gap, Lehane returned to Patrick and Angie — older, married, and still haunted by Amanda McCready.! You can read my thoughts on Moonlight Mile here.
So, while I read fewer books than usual in 2025, the ones I did read really delivered. This year’s reading recap leans heavily toward crime fiction and long-running series, with familiar authors, a few strong series starters, and one heavy nonfiction outlier. Less volume, same thrills.
2025 Reading Recap – Books Listed by Number and Date Read
First Read 2025
Last Read 2025
No.
Title
Author
Date Read
1
Rebellion: How Anti-Liberalism is Tearing the Contry Apart Again!
I tend to think of my reading life the same way I think about music — in terms of roots, branches, and leaves. Roots are the authors and series that shaped my reading early on and still draw me back. Branches are long-running favorites I’ve followed for years, evolving alongside my own tastes. Leaves are newer discoveries — recent voices, new series, or authors I’ve come to more recently. This recap follows that loose hierarchy rather than strict genre or publication date.
Reading Recap: Visiting Old Friends Via Roots Authors
Outwitting Trolls Brady Coyne #28) – William G. Tapply
A familiar, comforting return to Coyne’s thoughtful brand of justice, where New England atmosphere, quiet intelligence, and moral clarity matter more than pyrotechnics.
William G. Tapply’s Boston lawyer Brady Coyne is one of the reasons I read series books — great stories, and exactly the kind of lawyer you’d want on your side.
Savages (Nameless Detective # 31) –Bill Pronzini
Lean, sharp, and morally unsettling, Pronzini reminds us why the Nameless Detective endures — stripped-down prose, human darkness, and no easy answers.
Reading Recap: Branches Authors Whose Series Keep Rolling Along
The Black Loch Lewis Trilogy (#4) – Peter May
A dark, atmospheric return to the Hebrides, blending past crimes with present consequences. May continues to use place as character, with cold landscapes mirroring moral ambiguity.
When I read The Black House, the first book in the Lewis Trilogy, I was blown away. May’s sense of place was so strong I felt like I was in the Outer Hebrides. I’ve since read the entire trilogy and most, if not all, of his standalones. One of my favorites was Coffin Road – Check it out Here
This is Why We Lied (Will Trent #12) Karin Slaughter
A locked-room style mystery layered with long-running character arcs. Brutal, emotional, and deeply tied to the series’ history — not a starting point, but very rewarding for longtime readers.
This was the first of two Karin Slaughter books I read in 2025. For much of the book I wasn’t sure it worked for me — then came the ending, and once again I was amazed by her talent.
Angel of Vengeance(Pendergast #22) – Preston & Child
Big, bold, and unapologetically pulpy. The Pendergast universe keeps expanding, with gothic excess and high-stakes drama fully intact.
Grave Danger (Jack Swyteck #19) – James Grippando
Legal thriller meets personal jeopardy. Grippando keeps the series fresh by raising the emotional cost, not just the body count.
Battle Mountain( Joe Pickett #25) – C. J Box
Still going strong. Box continues to blend Western landscapes with modern crime, keeping Pickett relevant and grounded.
I once read that Lawrence Block described two kinds of series characters: those who never age, and those who age along with the books. Joe Pickett is very much the latter — and I’m glad he is. Watching him change over time is part of what keeps the series honest and grounded.
The same is true for Brady Coyne and Nameless Detective — both characters age along with their series, carrying the weight of experience, losses, and hard-earned perspective. That sense of time passing is a big part of why they still feel real to me.
The Spy Coast (The Martini Club #1) – Tess Gerritsen
Retired spies, coastal Maine, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. A fun, smart series opener that balances humor with genuine suspense.
The Collaborators (The Comorant #1) – Michael Idove
A modern espionage debut that feels timely and sharp. Global intrigue, fractured loyalties, and a strong sense of unease set the tone for what promises to be a smart series.
The Loose End (Teigen Craft # 1) – A. J. Cross
A strong procedural opener with psychological depth. Well-drawn characters and a solid mystery make this a promising start.
We Are All Guilty Here (North Falls #1) – Karin Slaughter
A brutal, emotionally charged series opener. New setting, new cast, same fearless intensity — Slaughter resets the board effectively.
This is the second Karin Slaughter book I read in 2025. Like Peter May I’ve read most of Slaughter’s series books and the standalones. This a dark book and it’s impact extends far beyond the crimes in the book to touch deeply on a personal level! Easily one of the top three books I read this year and I look forward to more in future books in the series!
The Shattering Peace – John Scalzi
Part of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War universe, returning to its familiar mix of military SF, politics, and sharp dialogue.
First Books in a Series new to Me (Not Book No 1)
The Nightmare (Joona Linna #2) m- Lars Kepler
Relentless pacing and disturbing psychological tension. Even jumping in at #2, the series hooks quickly with its procedural intensity and chilling antagonist.
Standalone Books From Branches and Leaves Authors
Guess Again – Charlie Donlea
A twist-heavy standalone that plays with memory, misdirection, and obsession, delivering Donlea’s trademark pace without leaning on a series framework.
My first encounter with Charlie Donlea was his debut novel Summit Lake in 2016, and I haven’t missed a book since. Before Christmas, my wife asked me to look over our son Andrew’s book list. The first title was Guess Again — I told her not to go any further and just buy that one.ok Christmas list. The first book was Guess Again. I said i’m not looking further get this one!
Death at the Sanatorium – Ragnar Jonasson
Claustrophobic and icy in tone, Jónasson uses isolation and buried secrets to build dread slowly and effectively.
Don’t Turn Around – Harry Dolan
A sharp, compact crime novel built on moral ambiguity and tight plotting, proving Dolan doesn’t need excess to unsettle.
Where They Last Saw Her Marcie R Rendon
Quietly powerful and socially grounded, Rendon blends mystery with lived experience, letting character and place carry the weight.
I came to Marcie R. Rendon through her Cash Blackbear series, having read books two and three, with the first waiting on my Nook. This standalone opened my eyes to the crisis of missing Indigenous women — and reminded me I somehow missed Broken Fields, released in March 2025. Onward to the library.
Non- Fiction – History/Politics
Rebellion: How Anti-Liberalism Is Tearing the Country Apart Again! — Robert Kagan
A sharp, unsettling look at how democratic norms erode from within. Kagan connects current political fractures to historical patterns, making this feel less like theory and more like warning. The lone nonfiction read this year — and a heavy one,
Midnight Creed is the 8th book in Alex Kava’s Ryder Creed series The series was a spin-off of Kava’s Maggie O’Dell series. Since Maggie and her FBI colleagues are an intricate part of the Ryder Creed series, I’m going to call this book book 19 in the Maggie O’Dell has targeted homeless people up and down the east coast. While Ryder and his dogs are searching for a missing boy. Additionally, Ryder and his staff are awaiting a shipment of K9s that were left behind when our troops left Afghanistan. Read More
In Beach Wedding we find Philadelphia police officer Terry Rourke returning to the Hamptons to attend his brothers lavish and expensive wedding. However, this is not the first time Terry has been in the Hamptons…..
….As the designer tuxedos are laid out and the flowers arranged along the glittering surf, Terry can’t help but take another look at a decades-old murder trial that rocked the very foundations of the town—and his family. He soon learns that digging up billion-dollar sand can be a very dangerous activity. The kind of danger that can very quickly turn even the most beautiful beach wedding into a wake.
Tyranny of the Minority – Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point -Steven Levitsky, Dnaiel Ziblatt
Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point is a book that any concerned with the state of our political system has to read. The authors layout three key aspects of our political system that have helped create the mess we’re in now. k so if you don’t want to read the book,at least, which this video!
The Gatekeeper is possibly my favorite book of 2024. I love the main character Dez Limerick, The book was a fast paced rollar0coaster of a ride! From Goodreads….
James Byrne’s The Gatekeeper introduces Dez Limerick in the most anticipated new thriller in years.
A highly trained team of mercenaries launches a well-planned, coordinated attack on a well-guarded military contractor – but they didn’t count on one thing, the right man being in the wrong place at the right time.
Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“Dez” to all) is a retired mercenary, and enthusiastic amateur musician, currently in Southern California, enjoying the sun and sitting in on the occasional gig, when the hotel he’s at falls under attack. A skilled team attempts to kidnap the Chief legal counsel of Triton Expeditors, a major military contractor – in fact, Petra Alexandris is the daughter of the CEO – but their meticulously-planned, seamlessly executed scheme runs into the figurative ‘spanner-in-the-works,’ Dez himself……Full Review Pending.
So on Friday January 12 I finished reading my second book for 2024, John Scalzi’s Starter Villain. It is the ninth book by Scalzi on my Goodreads shelves. I began reading Scalzi’s books in 2008. The first book I read was Old Man’s War. that book among the others in the Old Man’s War series may still be my favorites written by Scalzi.
The hero of the book, well maybe not a hero, let’s just say main character of the book is Charlie Fister. Charlie is a divorced ex-newspaper journalist. Who is now a substitute teacher living with his cat. A house his siblings want to sell. All Charlie wants is to buy and run a pub downtown. But the cost is astronomical and his only collateral for a bank loan is the house he lives in, which his estranged siblings want to sell!
Then his estranged Uncle Jake dies and leaves Charlie his business. Charlie realizes he may be in trouble, when he’s asked to represent the family at his uncle’s memorial service. At the service, first it was the message sent on a vase of flowers. The message See You in Hell” During the visitation, one guest checks Jake’s pulse another tries to stab him! It seems his uncle was not too popular………“Full Post
UPDATE:December has come and gone and I read only two and a half books of the ones pictured above. The two I finished were Tides of Fire by James Rollins and Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. The half was Starter Villain by John Scalzi!
So yesterday I wrote that I would like to read four to five more books before the end of 2023. The above picture shows the five books I currently have check out of the library. These are my proposed reads for December. The order in which I am going to read them is bottom to top. I have read books written by all of the authors. So let’s take and look at the books and authors for these Dcember Reads!
Tides of Fireis the 17th book in the Sigma Force series from James Rollins. In total I have read 21 books by Rollins and I am ashamed to say the only Sigma Force book from Rollins I haven’t read is the first book in the series Sandstorm. Oh, and I haven’t read the two short stories he’s written.
If you like action adventure novels with science truth blended with science fiction from Rollins you’ll love his books!
From Goodreads about Tides of Fire
In the latest riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author, an international research station in the Coral Sea comes under siege during a geological disaster that triggers massive quakes, deadly tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. To stop the world from burning, it’s up to Sigma Force to uncover a secret buried at the heart of our planet. et. More at Goodreads
Small Mercies– Dennis Lehane
I have only read eight books from Lehane. Six of them are from his Kenzie & Gennaro series which is one of my favorite series. I’ve also read Shutter Island and Mystic River
If Small Mercies is as good as Mystic River it will become a favorite of mine!
From Goodreads…..
The acclaimed New York Times bestselling writer returns with a masterpiece to rival Mystic River —an all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston’s history. More at Goodreads
Distant Sons – Tim Johnston
I’ve only read one book from Tim Johnston Descent and it was great, so I’m looking forward to this one!
From Goodreads…..
By the New York Times bestselling author of Descent and The Current, an absorbing new work of literary suspense about two young working men who forge a friendship despite secrets in their past, and whose actions ignite the passions and violence of a small Wisconsin town still haunted by the unsolved disappearance of three boys in the 1970s. For readers of Peter Heller, Liz Moore, and Cormac McCarthy. (More at Goodreads
The Only One Left– Riley Sager.
I discovered Riley Sager’s books a few years ago. So far I have read four of the seven books he’s written. I’ve missed a couple of the more recent books. Can you say too many books, too little time! Anyway this one sounds really good!
From Goodreads….
Now reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred…. More at Goodreads
Starter Villain– John Scalzi
I have read eight books by John Scalzi and four of them are from his Old Man’s War series! hmm? Anyway he is one of my favorite Sci-Fi writers and this one sounds very interesting. I’m sure that Scalzi’s wicked sense of humor is omnipresent in this one!
From Goodreads….
Inheriting your uncle’s supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who’s running the place.
Charlie’s life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.
Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. More at Goodreads
There is my December Reads challenge…..Anyone read any of these??
Thoughts of The November Man and Three Missed Series
So the other day while I was straightening up, I came across one of my old book journals. The journal covers the years from 1992 to 2000 (roughly my 40s).
Anyway, when I was looking at the journal, I also for some reason checked my Goodreads’ bookshelves. I discovered none of the books from 1993 were listed. So I started out to shelve the books.
Book No. 8 for the year was Burning the Apostle by Bill Granger. It is the 13th and final book in Granger’s November Man series. The first November Man book I read was The Infant of Prague, which I read in 1988. Between 1988 and 1993 I read the last five books in the series, as well as, the second book in the series Schism.
In the late 1990s Granger had a series of strokes. Finally, in 2000 he had a major stroke which ended his writing career. He passed away in 2012. In 2014 the November Man came to the big screen with Pierce Brosnan playing Devereaux.
Thinking about The November Man started me thinking about other series that I used to read. I thought of three more series. The authors of the following series have all passed away but their books should live on!
Brady Coyne – William G Tapply
William G Tapply’s first Brady Coyne novel Death at Charity’s Point was published in 1985. The 28th and final Brady Coyne novel Outwitting Trolls was published in 2010.
Brady is a Boston lawyer with a small but very rich clientele, that somehow always found a way to get in trouble. Most of the action on the books takes place outside of the court room.
Anyway, Brady’s character is great and so are the supporting characters. So check out a Brady Coyne book.
There are 28 books in the Brady Coyne series. I have read 18 of them. Hmm, even though William G Tapply has passed, I still have 10 Brady Coune books to enjoy. So I should read at least one soon!
Porfiry Rostnikov – Stuart Kaminsky
Porfiry Rostnikow is an inspector with the Moscow police department. He is a….
…. A bruising bear of a man, whose love of weightlifting and American pizza has left him as squat and powerful as a . 38 bullet, Rostnikov may be the toughest cop in Moscow.
The first Rostnikov book I read was A Cold Red Sunrise the fifth book in the series. I read it because I saw it had won the Edgar award as best mystery novel. It wasn’t long after that I went back and read the earlier books in the series.
This series is one of my all time favorites I love Porfiry and his family along with all of his fellow officers. One of my favorite characters in the series is Emil Karpo who is referred to as the “Tartar” or most often as the “Vampire” based on his appearance. Emil is a true believer in the Communist system and Will support it to the very end.
The stories are always well-written , fast-moving and interesting. So check it out!
There are 16 books in the series. I have read 13 of them. It seems I missed three books (9-11) published in the mid-90s. Note to self finish the series!!
Stuart M. Kaminsky was a profiling writer. In addition to the Porfiry Rostnikov series Kaminsky wrote series featuring Toby Peters, a private detective in 1940s Hollywood (1977-2004), veteran Chicago police officer Abe Lieberman (1990-2007) and finally a Sarasota, Florida, process server named Lew Fonesca (1999-2009).
Kaminsky passed away in October of 2009.
Robert (Mongo the Magnificent) Fredrickson – George C. Chesbro
Another series that I miss features a different kind of Private Eye Dr. Robert “Mongo” Fredrickson, a.k.a. Mongo the Magnificent. Mongo is …..
…..a fictional private eye and criminologist who has dwarfism……his rather unusual nickname is actually his stage name, from his days as an acrobat in a circus (a career that is over by the time the book series begins).
Mongo and his brother Garth always seemed to get involved in some kind of case with some strangeness in it.
Patricia Sullivan of the Washington Post wrote the following in Chesbro’s 2008 obituary….
….Playboy magazine as “Raymond Chandler meets Stephen King by way of Alice’s looking glass.”
Mr. Chesbro’s best-known character “is definitely an acquired taste that requires certain suspensions of perception and expectation,” wrote Dick Adler in a 1993 Chicago Tribune review.
“Imagine a dwarf who honed his physical skills as a circus acrobat called Mongo the Magnificent and then, using his real name, Dr. Robert Frederickson, became a world-famous criminologist,” Adler wrote. “Add to that the fact that Mongo’s world is filled with good and bad witches, satanists, warlocks and magicians of every shade as well as the normal run of murderers, swindlers and thieves.”
The writing, nonstop and violent, can also be very funny. Mongo played on a local softball team in his spare time and noted that he led the league in walks. Complete obituary
There are 14 books in the Mongo series. I have read all of them except Dream of the Falling Eagle the final book in the series.
So thinking about these four series has stirred up a lot of memories. I think I should create a mini-reading challenge”. I’ll challenge myself to read at least one book by each of these authors over the next four months! Anyone want to join me!!
I mentioned yesterday I have finished three books so far in 2021. The latest being The Boy from the Woods. Books 1 and 2 were Where the Forest Meets the Stars and The Wives respectively.
Typically, I don’t usually read books like either Where the Forest Meets the Stars or TheWives. However, last year I did read several books that were not crime based mysteries or thrillers and enjoyed all of them!
In the next few days I’ll post a list of the books I read in 2020 and also try to write about the two books that started 2021.
The picture at the top of this post are my proposed reads for the next four weeks. Two of the books are from authors who are among my favorites, James Grippando and Ragnar Jonasson. While one is from an author I read in the later part of 2020 John McMahon. The final book was written by an author who is new to me, Alice Henderson.
Hmm, I often like to think of the books I read in relationship to their setting. So let’s see where I’ll be traveling to via my proposed reads…
The Evil Men Do– John McMahon – Mason Falls, Georgia
My first proposed read will take me to Mason Falls, Georgia. The hometown of fictional detective P.T. Marsh. I met P.T. In the book The Good Detective. It was the first book to chronicle a case he and his partner Remy worked. From Goodreads…
The author of The Good Detective delivers a gripping and atmospheric new novel in which a cop takes on a harrowing new case and confronts old personal demons. What if the one good thing you did in your life doomed you to die?
A Solitude of Wolverines – Alice Henderson – Northwestern Montana
The action in this thriller will take me to northwestern Montana. This one of my proposed reads is the first in a series featuring Alex Carter….from Goodreads
“Both a mystery and a survival story, here is a novel written with a naturalist’s eye for detail and an unrelenting pace. It reminded me of the best of Nevada Barr.” —James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Odyssey
The first book in a thrilling series featuring an intrepid wildlife biologist who’s dedicated to saving endangered species…and relies on her superior survival skills to thwart those who aim to stop her. Read More
The Mist – Ragnar Jonasson – Iceland
In The Mist I will be transported to Iceland. I don’t think I would like living in Iceland but I do like visiting.
The Mist is actually Book 3 in Jonasson’s Hidden Iceland series. So I have decided to try and read Books 1 and 2 in the series before tackling The Mist. As such, I have started book 1 in the series The Darkness and have checked out The Island book 2 in the series.
Twenty – James Grippando – Florida
Finally, Florida is the home of lawyer Jack Swyteck in the proposed read Twenty. It’s book 17 in Grippando’s Swyteck series. From Goodreads….
Jack Swyteck and his family are caught in the crossfire after a deadly school shooting claims twenty casualties—Florida’s fifth mass shooting in as many years—in this provocative and timely thriller from Harper Lee Prize–winner James Grippando that touches on some of the most contentious issues roiling America today. Read More
So now I’m off to Iceland to see what’s happening in the world of Hulda Hermannsdóttir in The Darkness .Wish me luck!
R.I.P. – Dick Gregory (October 12, 1932 – August 19, 2017)
Today we are celebrating the birthdays of Ginger Baker and Robert Plant. But we are also mourning the loss of comedian and Civil Rights Activist Dick Gregory.
from the Associated Press – COMEDIAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST DICK GREGORY DIES AT 84 – DAISY NGUYEN
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dick Gregory, the comedian and activist and who broke racial barriers in the 1960s and used his humor to spread messages of social justice and nutritional health, has died. He was 84.
Gregory died late Saturday in Washington, D.C. after being hospitalized for about a week, his son Christian Gregory told The Associated Press. He had suffered a severe bacterial infection.
As one of the first black standup comedians to find success with white audiences, in the early 1960s, Gregory rose from an impoverished childhood in St. Louis to win a college track scholarship and become a celebrated satirist who deftly commented upon racial divisions at the dawn of the civil rights movement.
“Where else in the world but America,” he joked, “could I have lived in the worst neighborhoods, attended the worst schools, rode in the back of the bus, and get paid $5,000 a week just for talking about it?” Read More
Dick Gregory’s Humor
Like many I loved Dick Gregory’s humor. But I respected him more for his work as an advocate for Civil Rights and Justice. I read his autobiography Nigger when I was in college and it certainly had an impact on the development of my political philosophy The one story that I love and remember from Niggeris the following…
Last time I was down South, I walked into this restaurant, and this white waitress came up to me and said, ‘We don’t serve colored people here.’
“I said, ‘That’s all right, I don’t eat colored people. Bring me a whole fried chicken.’
“About then these three cousins come in, you know the ones I mean, Klu, Klucks, and Klan, and they say ‘Boy, we’re giving you fair warning. Anything you do to that chicken, we’re going to do to you.’
So I put down my knife and fork, and I picked up that chicken and I kissed it.
Here a two more classic examples of his humor….
Sometime early in the first Playboy show a heckler in the back yelled, “Nigger!” Greg said, “Say that again, please. My contract calls for fifty dollars every time that word is used.”
Once we decided on the title, Nigger, he held his ground against the publishing house. I loved his dedication: “Dear Momma — Wherever you are, if you ever hear the word ‘nigger’ again, remember they are advertising my book.”
The world will miss his wit and his compassion. Certainly, he should be remembered in these troubling times! So if you are not familiar with Dick Gregory take some time today to explore the life and work of this amazing humanitarian!
Links for the Further Exploration of the Life and Times of Dick Gregory
Since there are only six days left in February, I will probably not finish any more books. That means I will end the month having read five books.And I will have read thirteen books in 2017. But maybe just maybe one I will be able to finish one of the following five books. Even if I don’t finish any of the books I will a good start on March;s reads!
[powr-image-slider id=bf1215e0_1487817599]
Five Proposed Reads for the End of February and March
Books I am Currently Reading….
I have already started two of the five books I currently have checked out from the library. Here are the two that I have started
Long Days of Night – Graham Moore
From Goodreads….
A thrilling novel based on actual events, about the nature of genius, the cost of ambition, and the battle to electrify America—from the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and New York Times bestselling author of The Sherlockian
New York, 1888. Gas lamps still flicker in the city streets, but the miracle of electric light is in its infancy. The person who controls the means to turn night into day will make history—and a vast fortune. A young untested lawyer named Paul Cravath, fresh out of Columbia Law School, takes a case that seems impossible to win. Paul’s client, George Westinghouse, has been sued by Thomas Edison over a billion-dollar question: Who invented the light bulb and holds the right to power the country? Read More
I am about 80 pages into this book and have found it really interesting.I must confess I didn’t know a lot about the competition between Edison and Westinghouse, so hopefully I’ll learn a little from this read. It also may encourage me to read The Age of Edison:Invention of Modern America that has been sitting on my TBR shelves for a while now!
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution – Nathaniel Philbrick
This is the first book that I have read from the popular author Nathaniel Philbrick. I love those shady characters from those early days of our nation, i.e Aaron Burr, James Wilkinson and of course Benedict Arnold. Like The Last Days of NightI have already started this book and I’ve already learned a lot about the American Revolution! From Goodreads:
From the New York Times bestselling author of In The Heart of the Sea, comes a surprising account of the middle years of the American Revolution, and the tragic relationship between George Washington and Benedict Arnold.
In September 1776, the vulnerable Continental Army under an unsure George Washington (who had never commanded a large force in battle) evacuates New York after a devastating defeat by the British Army. Three weeks later, near the Canadian border, one of his favorite generals, Benedict Arnold, miraculously succeeds in postponing the British naval advance down Lake Champlain that might have ended the war. Four years later, as the book ends, Washington has vanquished his demons and Arnold has fled to the enemy after a foiled attempt to surrender the American fortress at West Point to the British. After four years of war, America is forced to realize that the real threat to its liberties might not come from without but from within. Read more
So maybe next up is Philbrick’s The Last Stand: Custer,Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Big Horn another book on my To Be Read shelves! And another book about an intriguing and infamous American!
The other three books…
….that I have checked out from the library are all from authors that are relatively new to me. They are:
The Crucifix Killer (Robert Hunter #1) – Chris Carter
Carter’s An Evil Mind – Robert Hunter #6 was one of the best books that I read in 2016. So I am really looking forward to starting at the beginning of this series!
When the body of a young woman is discovered in a derelict cottage in the middle of Los Angeles National Forest, Homicide Detective Robert Hunter finds himself entering a horrific and recurring nightmare. Naked, strung from two parallel wooden posts, the victim was sadistically tortured before meeting an excruciatingly painful death.
All the skin has been ripped from her face – while she was still alive. On the nape of her neck has been carved a strange double-cross: the signature of a psychopath known as the Crucifix Killer. But that’s impossible. Because two years ago, the Crucifix Killer was caught and executed. Could this therefore be a copycat killer? Or could the unthinkable be true? Read More
Red Right Hand (Michael Hendricks #2) – Chris Holm
I read the first Michael Kendricks novel The Killing Kind in January of 2017. I discovered the book and Chris Holm via the Mystery Scene magazine that my son Andrew and his wife Meaghan gave to me for Christmas. It included in an article about award-winning books. It won an Anthony Award for Best Novel. From Goodreads….
If the good guys can’t save you, call a bad guy. When viral video of an explosive terrorist attack on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge reveals that a Federal witness long thought dead is still alive, the organization he’d agreed to testify against will stop at nothing to put him in the ground. FBI Special Agent Charlie Thompson is determined to protect him, but her hands are tied; the FBI’s sole priority is catching the terrorists before they strike again. So Charlie calls the only person on the planet who can keep her witness safe: Michael Hendricks. Read More
Hot on the heels Assassin’s Game by Ward Larsen comes Assassin’s Silence and it may be hard for me not to start this book right away!! Hmm, I actually am on page 60! That’s where I stopped when I decided that I should read Assassin’s Game first!! So I guess this book actually belongs with the first set of books!! Oh, well!!
From Goodreads:
When it comes to disappearing, David Slaton has few equals. Police in three countries have written off trying to find him. His old employer, Mossad, keeps no forwarding address. Even his wife and son are convinced he is dead. So when an assault team strikes, Slaton is taken by surprise. He kills one man and manages to escape.
Half a world away, in the baleful heat of the Amazon, an obscure air cargo company purchases a derelict airliner. Teams of mechanics work feverishly to make the craft airworthy. On the first flight, the jet plunges toward the ocean. Read More
Ok so now it’s time to turn on some Jazz and do a little reading!
So far this month I have finished four books. Those books have taken me to a variety of counties where I met a lot of interesting characters. I am writing about the books in the reverse order of when I read them…
Book Number 12 The Hermitby Thomas Rydahl took me to the Canary Islands.There I met a 65-year-old taxi driver from Denmark, Erhard Jorgenson. Erhard lives alone in a shack near the resort of Fuerteventura. Erhard’s life is changed forever,after a car is found washed up on the beach. A dead 3 month old baby is found in a cardboard box on the back seat. The police try to quickly and quietly close the case by having a prostitute claim she was the mother. Erhard knows that is wrong and for the sake of the baby he wants to prove what really happened!
During the course of his investigation Erhard makes some questionable decisions are in the name of advancing his investigation. At times I thought the story dragged a little and some of Erhard’s actions bothered me. But In the end I The Hermitwas a great read. Others thought so too. As The Hermit won the 2015 Glass Key award as the best Nordic crime novel! Rating: 4 stars
Book Number 11 – Black Widow -Christopher Brookmyre.
Black Widow is set in Scotland, Over the last several years, I have visited Scotland many times, via the books of Peter May and others. Black Widowis book 7 in Brookmyre’s Jack Parlabane series. In this book Lucy Elphinstone hires Jack to look into the disappearance of her brother Peter. Peter went missing after his car slid off of a snow-covered road and ended up in the river. Lucy and two police detectives feel that Peter may have met with foul play. And the likely suspect is his wife of six months,successful surgeon Diana Jager aka bitchblade!
It seemed to me that the story took a long tine to develop. I had a little trouble with Brookmyre switching back and forth from the first to the third person in the narrative. I thought it was a little strange that Jack Parlabane didn’t become an important part of the story until the second half of the book! The last half of the book certainly made up for any of the shortcomings of the book in its first half! And the ending was great!
Black Widow won the 2016 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish crime book of the year an honor it rightly deserved. Rating- 4.5 stars
All That Man Istook me to many places across the European continent. It is a collect of short vignettes of nine different men all at different stages of their lives. With each vignette the man in the story is a little older than the previous one. Typically I don’t read books like All That Man Is, And for that reason, I’ll let Goodreads tell you about it……
A magnificent and ambitiously conceived portrait of contemporary life, by a genius of realism.
Nine men. Each of them at a different stage in life, each of them away from home, and each of them striving–in the suburbs of Prague, in an overdeveloped Alpine village, beside a Belgian motorway, in a dingy Cyprus hotel–to understand what it means to be alive, here and now. Tracing a dramatic arc from the spring of youth to the winter of old age, the ostensibly separate narratives of All That Man Is aggregate into a picture of a single shared existence, a picture that interrogates the state of modern manhood while bringing to life, unforgettably, the physical and emotional terrain of an increasingly globalized Europe. And so these nine lives form an ingenious and new kind of novel, in which David Szalay expertly plots a dark predicament for the twenty-first-century man. Read More
A Foreign Country is book one of Cumming’s Thomas Kell series. The settings for A Foreign Country include France, Tunisia and England. Thirty years ago a young au pair walked away from the family she was working for. She left without a word of good-bye. Now the reason that young girl left could rock the world of the first woman director of Britain’s MI6. From Goodreads..
On the vacation of a lifetime in Egypt, an elderly French couple are brutally murdered. Days later, a meticulously-planned kidnapping takes place on the streets of Paris. Amelia Levene, the first female Chief of MI6, has disappeared without a trace, six weeks before she is due to take over as the most influential spy in Europe. It is the gravest crisis MI6 has faced in more than a decade. Desperate not only to find her, but to keep her disappearance a secret, Britain’s top intelligence agents turn to one of their own: disgraced MI6 officer Thomas Kell. Tossed out of the Service only months before, Kell is given one final chance to redeem himself – find Amelia Levene at any cost. Read More
I really enjoyed this book. The book moved at a brisk pace and I like the character of Thomas Kell and others around him.There was a fair amount of suspense particularly at the end. I believe I will be visiting with Thomas Kell again and again. I already have checked out from my library the Kindle edition of A Colder War (Thomas Kell # 2). While A Divided Spy (Thomas Kell #3), was just released on Valentine’s Day! So maybe when I finish A Colder War,A Divided Spy will be available at the library,
Final Thoughts
Summarizing I have read twelve books so far in 2017. That puts me ahead of schedule to reach my goal of 60 books for the year. I had never read any books written by any of the authors I have read so far in February. Additionally, Black Widowand A Foreign Country are both part of a series, that I will definitely be reading more of!
I noticed after writing this post that none of the books I read this month are set in the USA. I guess I needed a vacation from all he turbulence in our country since January 20th……..
Today we are celebrating the birthdays of Ginger Baker and Robert Plant. But we are also mourning the loss of comedian and Civil Rights Activist Dick Gregory.
