Book Cover of the Month: February

It shouldn't be any surprise that I have chosen Andi Watson's graphic novel Paris as my book cover of the month. The bold colors on the cover are what induced me to buy the novel. Unfortunately, the comic strips inside the book were done in black and white. Simon Gane drew and colored the cover. His artwork on last month's Sunburn was my favorite book cover for January.  Gane is a British artist from Bath who works for Vertigo. Vertigo is an imprint of DC Comics that caters to mature audiences but also more sophisticated cartoonists. Gane is also a magazine and children's book illustrator. 

New America

New America is a Comixology Original political thriller that explores the future of a divided nation. Curt Pires is the author of this three part series.  The story of the New America is set in a near-future landscape where a group of secessionists have broken away from the U. S. and created a new nation. They hope that it will be a utopia but an outbreak of violence makes it look just like the old America. Is this a foreshadow of what could come to Americans in the real world?

The story begins with the end of the old America with a partisan Congress, problems at the border, white supremacists and a crazy President Trump. The New America, though, is not any better. While the new president is African American, he uses power just like the white ones did. The politics is the same. The exception is that there are now armed guards everywhere throughout the nation. Citizens of the old America are seen as terrorists. 

This is a depressing comic. There wasn't much plot movement to keep me interested in the story but I kept reading because I expected a big ending. I didn't get it but perhaps that is the point. Separating the different factions in our country will not work. We have to talk to each other.

The Vision

The Vision #1 is a graphic novel about an android called Vision.  This android, sometimes called a "synthezoid," was built by the villainous robot Ultron created by Hank Pym. Originally intended to act as Ultron's son and destroy the Avengers, Vision instead turned on his creator and joined the Avengers to fight for the forces of good.  Part 1 collects the comic series 1 through 5 and was published in 2015 by Marvel.

The Vision wants to be human so he goes to the laboratory where he was created and he builds a family. There is his wife, Virginia and two twin teens Viv and Vin who look like him. They also have his powers and share his ambition to be ordinary. However, they have the power to kill. Ordinary, huh?

I found it amusing that this family always flew to wherever they were going.  If they wanted to be ordinary they should have walked or drove a car.  However, the kids flew through the air in order to get to school and, yes, they were seen in the air by students. It was also pretty amusing to see the kids try to learn the subjects everyone has to take in high school. Virginia would quiz them daily to ensure that they were doing well. Their power to kill, though, could not be turned off and we see Virginia and the twins use their powers of force when they were threatened.

This was a fun story so I will be getting the subsequent novels.

The Orchard

The Orchard is an Amish fiction story that takes place in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The main character, Ellie Hostettler, grew up near an apple orchard that her father owned. Twin brother Evan was expected to take over the business but Evan's interest in the ways of the Englischers has been disconcerting to his family. Evan got caught attending the funeral of an English friend, Jack Herr, who died in Vietnam. Evan has been highly influenced by his friendship with Jack. He is considering joining the army to fight in Vietnam and when he fails to register as a conscientious objector the Hostettler family is devastated. Meanwhile the ladies are all trying to find husbands and their Amish reserve prevents them from being proactive.  

The Orchard was a relaxing read and it was difficult to put down. I did so but only for an hour because I wanted to know what was happening with Evan. Ellie's feelings about the peacefulness of the orchard made me feel peaceful too. She enjoyed walking there most days, especially when family drama was upsetting her. I can relate to this as walking through a park helps me deal with drama as well. Of course, it wouldn't be Amish fiction without romance. The romance side to the story was sweet but what I enjoyed most about this tale is the intrusion of the Vietnam War in Amish life.

5 out of 5 stars.

Can't Wait Wednesday #18

I am anxiously awaiting the April 4, 2023 publication of Harini Nagendra's Murder over a Red Moon.  It is her second novel in the Bangalore Detective Club Series. 

In this installment of the series, new bride and amateur sleuth Kaveri Murthy agrees to investigate a financial crime for her mother-in-law. Her husband's cousin is facing financial ruin while there is talk in his company that someone embezzled funds. All of this occurred under the blood moon eclipse. Soon thereafter, Kaveri's life is threatened. The story takes place in 1921 colonial India. Anti-British sentiment is rising and women's suffrage is being debated giving the book some political flair.

The Apprentice

The Apprentice: Love and Scandal in the Kingdom of Naples was written by one of my favorite authors Christine De Melo. It is her 16th novel and I have enjoyed them all. However, this story is peculiar.

The publisher's summary:

Naples, Italy 1600: In a desperate attempt to avoid an undesirable fate, “Carlo” dispatches an urgent letter to estranged cousin, Giovanni Balducci, on the eve of the Florentine Maestro's departure to Naples. The deceptive youth convinces Giovanni that he needs an apprentice, so they travel south to complete important commissions, including the adornment of the macabre San Gaudioso catacombs. What began as an adventure takes a perilous turn when the apprentice falls in love with a local monk.

Carlo meets the famed nun, Sister Giulia di Marco, and her confessor, Father Aniello Arcieri, a few years later while restoring an altarpiece in a church. The charismatic pair gradually draw the lonely artist into their scandalous Confraternity of Carnal Charity, whose wealthy noble acolytes believe divine glory can be achieved through sexual ecstasy. Unable to continue living a lie, Carlo confesses a big secret to Sister Giulia. The crafty nun wastes no time assigning the novitiate a prominent role within the cult, which soon captures the attention of the Holy Inquisition. To make matters worse, the priest leading the investigation is someone the artist knows all too well.

This gripping account of forbidden love and danger revolves around actual historical accounts. The author has spent considerable time researching in Naples, especially within the mysterious and bizarre underground catacombs.

If I had never heard about sex cults before, The Apprentice would not have been plausible. However, I once worked on a legal case where a prostitute claimed that salvation could only be obtained through sex with her. This prostitute requested that her home be exempt from property taxes because it was a church. Of course, she lost. Had I not been involved with the case, I probably would not have finished this book. The plot is bizarre even though it is plausible. I enjoyed, though, reading about the artists. I learned how they worked on paintings, obtained jobs and that they frequently were away from home working on commissions. The twist at the midway point I did not see coming and was a surprise. The plot changed significantly here and I am not sure it was for the better.

3 out of 5 stars.

Cor Rotto

Cor Rotto is an historical fiction account of Catherine Carey Knollys, niece of Anne Boleyn. She is also rumored to be the bastard daughter of Henry VIII. Per Webster's dictionary the title means corrupt, depraved, immoral or, in my opinion, rotten to the core. However, the author gave a different definition: heartbroken.

The publisher's summary:

Catherine Carey has been dreaming the same dream for three years, since the bloody execution of her aunt Queen Anne Boleyn. Her only comfort is that she and her family are safe in Calais, away from the intrigues of Henry VIII’s court. But now Catherine has been chosen to serve Henry VIII’s new wife, Queen Anne of Cleves. Just before she sets off for England, she learns the family secret: the true identity of her father, a man she considers a monster. One she will shortly meet.

This compelling novel tells the life story of a woman who survived being close to the crown and became one of Queen Elizabeth I’s closest confidants.

I loved Catherine's story.  I view her life as charmed given her wealth, loving husband and large family that got along with each other. Serving five queens of England, she had great jobs.  She worked for Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Mary 1 and Elizabeth 1. The character who used the Latin phrase cor rotto in a letter to Catherine was Princess Elizabeth who was heartbroken over the death of her mother many years earlier. I also view Princess, then Queen, Elizabeth as having a charmed life. However, the author tells us that both of these characters were heartbroken. We all can agree that Elizabeth's early life was difficult but Catherine had heartbreak too as she lost two of her children and was frequently separated from her husband and children. 

Religion plays a big role in the novel as it covers all of Henry VIII's wives, son Edward, and sisters Mary and Elizabeth. Our heroine Catherine, however, does not care how others practice their religion. She accepts whatever faith tradition a person wishes to follow and because of that she never spread gossip either against the Catholic Church or against the reformers. Consequently, everyone liked her. Her conduct was always exemplary. By the way, she was a reformer. 

The Tudor setting was exotic. The ladies wore sumptuous dresses and the men of the court wore velvet. In this book the reader gets the full perspective on what it was like to wear these dresses. While beautiful to look at, getting dressed was cumbersome because of all the layers and for Catherine, who was pregnant sixteen times, too heavy to wear. It wasn't all exotic for the ladies who lived during this era as they were required to spend the last three months of pregnancy confined to their rooms and another two months of confinement after the birth until they were churched, that is, allowed to go to church for a purification rite and to thank God for their newborn child.  

The writing itself was fast paced as many chapters covered several years and the chapters were short. There is a ton of detail in the novel so it was definitely well researched. Given that the author has, to date, only written about Boleyn family members, she must be an expert on the family. The story begins when Catherine is 15 and ends with her death at age 47. It seemed to me that Catherine lived to be much older because we read about the minutiae in her life as well as the big events. However, per Wikipedia, Catherine died at age 47. She led an incredible life.

5 out of 5 stars.

Murder on the Beach

Murder on the Beach is the third book in a cozy mystery series called Chef Dani Rossetti Cozy Mysteries. There are 9 books in the series to date. I selected the book for the Calendar of Crime Challenge because it was published in the month of February. 

The publisher's summary:

Jackson Kelly may have been middle-aged and the vice-president of the exclusive Oceana Resort Hotel, but Jackson loved to surf and he loved the ladies, who were mostly young women he referred to as his “diversions.”When he dies on the beach while surfing with no apparent injuries, the question is: “What happened to him?" Too bad he had an angry looking rash on his leg. And Dani and Arthur were only at the resort to cater a dinner meeting for the resort’s stockholders! When the coroner says, yes, it was murder, they have their work cut out for them – another mystery to solve.The owner of the resort and his family have a lot to gain financially if Jackson’s dead. But maybe it was a crime of passion. His wife or current “diversion” could have done it. A lot of interests to be protected. Greed, revenge, hatred – those are all possible motives.

While cozy mystery writers are known for testing the limits of suspension of belief, I think Ms. Harman went too far. There were two sleuths in the story: Chef Dani and Arthur, her one-time bodyguard and owner of a private investigation firm. While Arthur was hired by the owners of the resort and had a reason to investigate, Dani didn't. I don't know why she questioned some of the suspects and I cannot imagine why anyone would allow themselves to be questioned by a chef about a murder. Since this is the first book in the series that I have read, perhaps how these two characters came to do their sleuthing together would have been explained in earlier novels. It just seemed odd to me that the chef did more sleuthing than the professional investigator.

What I did find interesting was that digital vehicle forensics was supposed to be used in the investigation. I had never heard about this type of forensics before. However, after Arthur brought this idea up with his clients, it should have been used to determine who the killer was. It not only wasn't used, Arthur never even looked into the car owned by one of the suspects that he was interested in. Why was digital vehicle forensics even mentioned?

One more thing bothered me. When visiting chef Dani arrived at the resort, she was given the Presidential Suite. Granted, Dani is a celebrity chef but this still was odd to me.

There were several flaws in the story but it still had some appeal for me. I enjoyed the first half of the book but when Jackson Kelly died at the midpoint, it fell flat. The second half of the novel, which was the investigation, was not plausible.

2 out of 5 stars.

The Blue Bar

The Blue Bar is the first book in Damyanti Biswas' Blue Mumbai Thriller duology. The second book, The Blue Black Hair, will be published in October 2023. Damyanti Biswas lives in Singapore and works for a charitable organization that promotes education and social enhancement in underprivileged communities. Her short stories have been published in magazines in the US, UK, and Asia, and her debut crime novel, You Beneath Your Skin, was published in November 2022. She writes psychological thrillers.

The publisher's summary:  

After years of dancing in Mumbai’s bars, Tara Mondal was desperate for a new start. So when a client offered her a life-changing payout to indulge a harmless, if odd, fantasy, she accepted. The setup was simple: wear a blue-sequined saree, enter a crowded railway station, and escape from view in less than three minutes. It was the last time anyone saw Tara.

Thirteen years later, Tara’s lover, Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput, is still grappling with her disappearance as he faces a horrifying new crisis: on the city’s outskirts, women’s dismembered bodies are being unearthed from shallow graves. Very little links the murders, except a scattering of blue sequins and a decade’s worth of missing persons reports that correspond with major festivals.

Past and present blur as Arnav realizes he’s on the trail of a serial killer and that someone wants his investigation buried at any cost. Could the key to finding Tara and solving these murders be hidden in one of his cold cases? Or will the next body they recover be hers?

The Blue Bar is a fantastic read. The Indian setting is one that I am always attracted to. I love reading about the saris and the food but cannot imagine having to deal with the noise. Likewise, the characters were interesting. Tara and Arnav's love story was charming. However, it didn't seem plausible that Arnav's current girlfriend Nandini would stick around knowing that he was still in love with Tara. Nandini is a professional woman and while she is presented as being independent, I thought she was a doormat. She tripped over her feet while trying to serve him.  

The story had a fast pace, owing to the intricate plot. When it became apparent that a serial killer was the perpetrator, I couldn't figure out who it was. The author gave us about 5 prospects for the villain and stumped me. I reread some of the pages hoping to determine the identity of the whodunit but didn't gain any additional insight. I am ambivalent about the ending (after the whodunit reveal) and would have preferred something else. Let's see how it plays out in the second book.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Magdalene Reliquary

The Magdalene Reliquary is the 2nd book is the Magdalene Chronicles Trilogy by Gary McAvoy. This debut series features gripping thrillers set in the Vatican and wherever its influence reaches. Both that and his current ongoing series, "Vatican Secret Archive Thrillers," feature Father Michael Dominic, a Jesuit paleographer - a specialist in ancient writing systems and deciphering historical manuscripts. McCoy has long been fascinated with the Vatican and its legendary Secret Archive, and his books are filled with historical facts and international intrigue.

The publisher's summary:

A curious priest uncovers a mystifying secret... One that leads to a long-buried relic some will do anything to possess. Can he outwit adversaries who will stop at nothing to keep him from revealing an object that challenges history as we know it? Father Michael Dominic discovers a strangely constructed 13th-century puzzle hidden deep within the Vatican Secret Archives. With the help of his brilliant colleague, investigative journalist Hana Sinclair, solving the puzzle exposes a cleverly concealed map that marks the hiding place of a sacred artifact—one with shocking implications. From Rome to France and Switzerland, his search for the object finds Dominic pitted against deadly agents and a ruthless Russian oligarch. Desperate, he must choose between trusting an unlikely collection of possible allies—or certain death. As his enemies close in, can he survive and bring this staggering new secret to light, or will his pursuers bury it beside him in the cold, dark earth of a long-forgotten cave? 

I loved this story. It was so much more entertaining than the first book in the series with its non-stop action and adventure. This treasure hunt begins in Rome, moves to France, then Milan and Switzerland and back to Rome. What happens with the newly found treasure? The reader does not know. It is up to the Pope to decide and we may find out in the 3rd book of this trilogy or we might never know. It really isn't that important to me. What I enjoyed is the hunt for the reliquary and the back-stabbing among the characters. I was amused that Father Dominic hired 3 gypsies to help him in his quest. You don't see this in mystery novels too often and I thought it was a creative twist.

The characters are the same as in The Magdalene Deception. Their interaction was more natural than in Deception which I presume was due to the author not needing to spend time and pages introducing them to the reader. 

5 out of 5 stars.

The House in the Pines

The House in the Pines is Ana Reyes' debut novel. She began writing it in 2015, as her thesis for an M.F.A. program at Louisiana State University. After graduation Reyes moved to Los Angeles, where she lined up several jobs teaching English composition at local schools. Eventually she wrote a second draft and then a third. The book sold fast as it was recommended by Reese Witherspoon.

The publisher's summary:

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer.
 
Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can’t account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer—the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey. 
 
At her mother’s house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father’s book that didn’t stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank’s cabin.... 

The story opened well. There was an introduction to fascinating characters as well as some action. I felt that the story slowed somewhat in the middle. Also, there is a supernatural aspect to the plot which isn't exactly my favorite genre but I kept an open mind because the opening was strong. However, in the middle of the story it was hard to tell if there was something supernatural happening or whether Maya was in the throes of mental illness. I would describe the book as an atmospheric mystery, instead of a psychological thriller. I am not a fan of atmospheric stories but I know there are many readers out there who love this kind of book. If you happen to be one of them, I can highly recommend the book to you. For me, it was an OK novel.

3 out of 5 stars.

Hide

Hide is Tracy Clark's 5th novel. It is also the first book in a new series that takes place in Chicago, which is why I wanted to read it. Chicago is my hometown. It's a captivating, fast paced read which felt good to read after the past couple of dull books that I recently read.

The publisher's summary:

When a young red-haired woman is found brutally murdered in downtown Chicago, one detail stands out: the red lipstick encircling her wrists and ankles.

Detective Harriet Foster is on the case, even though she’s still grieving the sudden death of her partner. As a Black woman in a male-dominated department, Foster anticipates a rocky road ahead acclimating to a new team—and building trust with her new partner isn’t coming easily.

After another victim turns up with the same lipstick markings, Foster suspects she’s looking for a serial killer. Through a tip from a psychiatrist, Foster learns about Bodie Morgan: a troubled man with a twisted past and a penchant for pretty young redheads with the bluest eyes. As Foster wades into Morgan’s sinister history, the killer continues their gruesome assault on Chicago’s streets.

In her desperate race to catch the murderer before they strike again, Foster will have to confront the darkest of secrets—including her own.

This book is a perfect crime thriller. It also touches on current problems in policing such as racism, sexism, police power and female officers. With one character being a psychologist, we also read about the psychology of serial killers. Author Tracy Clark knows alot about police procedures and its culture. She is an editor in Chicago and must have learned alot about policing from her day job. 

The writing is crisp and this is what make it such a quick read. It's been awhile since I have read a novel written this good and I couldn't put it down. Even though the book is almost 400 pages, I finished it in one afternoon. The setting descriptions in the beginning of the story are spot on. As a Chicagoan myself, I recognized all of the street names and locales, including the lower level streets where are killers operate. Even the jogging path a character took was accurate. 

The main character is Harriet Foster. She has been a police officer for 15 years but is coming into a different police district for this story. Her first partner, Officer Lonergan, is a long-time officer who does not care for female or minority officers and uses slang terms from a bygone era. I found them amusing but only because I am old enough to know these phrases. Harriet has a soft side because her son died, her marriage fell apart and her former police partner commit suicide. She is still reeling from these events but is trying to put them out of her mind so that she can continue to work. Harriet, or Harri, is a great character to base a series on.  I can see that there is alot of room for character growth. Her second partner, Vera Li, connects with Harri better and I hope that they remain partners in future installments of the series.

Hide is a fantastic novel. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Paris

Paris is a graphic novel about a penniless American artist, Juliet, who travels from America to Paris to study painting. To make ends meet, Juliet paints portraits of wealthy debutantes. One of her subjects is Deborah, a young English woman suffocated by an overbearing aunt and the narrow expectations for her life by her aristocrat family. Juliet is equally as confined by the rigid academic structure of her art education and finds an unlikely kindred spirit in Deborah. Both woman love art and it brings them together.

While the book cover is in color, the entire novel was drawn in black and white. The style is French and all of the drawings are intricate, full page drawings. If you are familiar with the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, then you will understand what the pages look like. This style is not one I particular like but I must admit it fits the story and there are many comic lovers out there who are attracted to this style. I was disappointed that there was no color inside the pages. I felt there was a promise of color inside because the book cover is so colorful.

Regarding the story, it was pretty predictable.  There were no surprises or drama either. The author, Andi Watson, used alot of French dialogue, some of which I could understand due to my high school French classes. There was much that I did not understand but since there wasn't much of a plot, it didn't really detract from the comic. In general, I was disappointed that there wasn't more to the story.

2 out of 5 stars.