Seattle Mystery Bookshop Books & Decay

Patricia Briggs - Frost Burned - Book Review

Patricia Briggs - Frost Burned

Signed 1^st Editions Are Still Available.

Fran Recommends:

It’s no secret that Amber and I are fans of Patricia Briggs, so we were excited to get her latest Mercy Thompson book, Frost Burned.

However, Amber hasn’t read it yet — and what’s keeping you? Hmmm? — so I’m not going into too many details here.

Mercy and her step-daughter, Jesse, are out on Black Friday, shopping for all they’re worth, when they find themselves tangled up in a car wreck. They’re banged up a bit, but the Rabbit is toast, so they call Adam for a ride. Except that Adam isn’t picking up. No one in the pack is answering their phones. And Mercy has a serious sense that something is deeply wrong.

They discover that the pack — the entire pack — has been trapped, and those folks who have captured the others are after them now. Mercy has to turn to the vampires for help, and that presents its own set of serious dangers.

When people come in asking about good urban fantasy, we steer them towards Patricia Briggs. She writes clearly, seemingly effortlessly, and her characters are people you sincerely care about. She’s smart, too, which is great. There are threads in Frost Burned that she started several books ago, and they’ve been woven in beautifully. And I’m incredibly proud of her for making a tough decision, doing something that may be wildly unpopular but was exactly what needed to happen in the story.

If you’re a fan of the Mercy Thompson series, you’ll absolutely have to read this one. But one of the things we continually point out to Mercy fans is that you have to read the “Alpha and Omega” parallel series as well. What happened in Fair Game (signed copies available) changes the whole world, and some of the events in Frost Burned won’t make any sense until you’ve read it.

FIND THEM HERE. BUY THEM HERE. KEEP BOOKS HERE.

-SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP

Rachel Hawkins - School Spirits - Book Review

Rachel Hawkins - School Spirits

Amber Recommends:

Izzy Brannick has a very long and impressive lineage. While most people prize, politicians, celebrities and rebels in their family tree, Izzy has more unusual branches on hers.

For centuries, her family has hunted monsters, or, to use the more civilized term, Prodigium, becoming their boogie man in turn. However, thru the centuries of campaigns and fighting, the Brannicks have dwindled down to just Izzy and her Mom.

Finn, her older sister, has gone missing a few months earlier. On a routine hunt, Finn and Izzy were tracking a coven of witches. Finn went in, while Izzy stayed behind, and she hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Finn’s tactical belt is the only evidence that she had ever set foot in the house.

She and her mother searched, ran down every clue and still came up with nothing. However monsters don’t keep convenient hours, and before Izzy is ready, they have to continue on with their duties. In this case Izzy must go undercover in Ideal, Mississippi’s local high school. A ghost is on the loose and causing some serious bodily harm to a faculty member and threatens the rest of the school…..Izzy must now navigate the labyrinth of cliques, fashion, boys and magic. To solve her case, without becoming attached to the people around her, this is a job. Friends are a luxury she cannot afford…..right?

School Spirits is a parallel series to Hawkins’ Hex Hall series. Meaning, it is set in the same world with vampires, ghosts, fae and witches. However, none of the characters from that series pop up in this book. School Spirits is a solid mystery, with promising multi-book plots, such as her missing sister Finn, the prophecy that Izzy will let Torin out of his mirror and what exactly is going to happen with Dex? This book has the potential to start a new urban fantasy-ish YA series, and I cannot wait to see where we go next.

I would recommend this book to any girl 11-16 (sorry guys, I don’t think you are the targeted demographic here) who is looking for a fast paced, Buffy The Vampire Slayer -esque - mystery.

The one critique I have of this book, is it is missing the snarky humor found in the Hex Hall series, and I realize Hawkins cannot make the two series the same. However it would have been entertaining to see more sly humor embedded into this mystery.

FIND THEM HERE. BUY THEM HERE. KEEP BOOKS HERE.

- SEATTLE MYSTERY BOOKSHOP

The Sasquatch Escape - Book Review

Suzanne Selfors-The Imaginary Veterinary: The Sasquatch Escape: Book 1

Amber Recommends:

Ben Silverstein’s parents are having problems, serious problems. Rather than have him living in a home filled with tension and fighting, they have sent Ben to live with his grandfather in Buttonville for the summer. Ben is sure this is going to be the most boring summer on record. With the button factory being closed down, most of everything around town is closed as well and most of the families left as well to find work, leaving behind an empty factory, retired factory workers (like his grandfather) and a very small main street.

Boredom gives way when his Grandfather’s mouser comes back to the house with an unexpected surprise/victim in her mouth, a baby dragon. Unfortunately the baby dragon is hurt, and the only vet in town is the mysterious Dr. Woo, who has just taken over the old button factory, and claims only to treat worms.

Enlisting the town’s troublemaker, Pearl, for assistance, Ben seeks out Dr. Woo to help with their hurt dragon. Things take an unexpected turn when they discover the worm hospital is a cover for their real veterinary clientele, imaginary creatures, like dragons. However things go even more awry (and possibly disastrous) when Ben leaves the front door of the worm hospital unlocked and a Sasquatch escapes into Buttonville. Now it is up to our dynamic duo to lure him back to where he belongs, before he is seen…..

This was a fast paced, clever adventure filled with great people and funny situations. It never dragged or felt over the top (as some fantasy-ish books can feel). There are wonderful illustrations which add a whole new level to this story. The book is split into smallish chapters, which help give it a bite-size feel. If you have a kid who is hesitant to read a bigger book, this feature will help them overcome this fear. This is just a well written and fun book, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I would recommend this without hesitation to any boy (or open minded girl since Pearl is a great character) between 7 and 12 years.

FIND THEM HERE. BUY THEM HERE. KEEP BOOKS HERE.

-Seattle Mystery Bookkshop

(Source: seattlemystery.com)

Soulless - A Review

Gail Carriger - Soulless

Amber Recommends:

Alexia Tarabotti has been on the shelf since she was fifteen. Her mother decided her Italian heritage and unconventional looks (dark hair, dark eyes and the predilection of tanning) was too much to overcome, that no gentleman would seriously pursue Alexia. So she made the early decision to concentrate her attention and money on securing good marriages for her two younger daughters.

What her mother didn’t know was this suited Alexia just fine. Alexia enjoys the freedom spinsterhood allows her; to read whatever she likes, consort with flamboyant friends and concentrate on finding the best foods Victorian London can provide. Plus, well it would be a scandal if it came out to society that Alexia was born without a soul.

Soullessness can be an advantage when dealing with some of the residents of London, Werewolves, Vampires and Ghosts, since just her touch negates their power. This comes in handy when a very rude vampire has the audacity of attacking Alexia at party, thereby tossing Alexia into Lord Maccon’s path again, (how many times does she have to say the Hedgehog was not her fault?) and into the mystery of why all the lone wolves and rogue vampires are disappearing from all around England….

If you are looking for historical accuracy of Victorian London, with insights into the life and times of the people living in this period, this is NOT the book for you.

If you are looking for a funny, witty, romantic, melodramatic action-packed supernatural romp, then I highly recommend this book to you! I enjoyed every second of this book, the ridiculousness of pairing proper Victorian manners when being attacked by an unknown Vampire is hilarious. Alexia and the rest of the characters are over the top in their personalities and are just fun to read. And the mystery at the core of this book is well thought out as well, setting up future villains and problems in the books to come. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series!

I picked up this book purely because of the author description “Gail Carriger writes to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriated Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life for Europe and inadvertently acquired an education. She now resides in the Colonies with a harem of American lovers and tea imported from London.” If you find this as humorous and intriguing as I did, like urban fantasy without sparkling vampires, and enjoy a bit of steampunk thrown in for flavor, I think you will really like this book.

FIND THEM HERE. BUY THEM HERE. KEEP BOOKS HERE.

-Seattle Mystery Bookshop

(Source: seattlemystery.com)

The Disciple of Las Vegas - Book Review

Ian Hamilton - The Disciple of Las Vegas

Fran recommends:

When you hear the job description “forensic accountant”, kick-ass action probably isn’t what leaps to mind. But if you are Ava Lee, Ian Hamilton’s Canadian-Chinese lesbian bombshell in The Disciple of Las Vegas, high-octane action is the order of the day.

Ava has just returned to her home in Toronto when she gets a call from Uncle, her septugenarian Hong Kong partner, who asks her to fly to Hong Kong immediately because there is a problem in the Phillipines. Tommy Ordonez, one of the richest men in Manila, is convinced his brother has lost several million dollars in a real estate transaction, and Ordonez wants Uncle and Lee to get it back. Ordonez has a temper and has been rude to Uncle, which is something that would immediately disqualify him from receiving assistance, but Ordonez’s right-hand man, Chang Wang, is a friend of Uncle’s, so Ava agrees to fly in to help.

What happens then takes her from Manila to San Francisco and, of course, to Las Vegas.

I really like Ava and Uncle, and the nuanced, subtle relationships between Ava and Uncle, as well as their relationships with Ordonez and Chang, as well as the other people involved in what turns out to be a complicated and ingenious scam adds a layer of intrigue that kept me involved.

I only have two issues, really. One is that Ian Hamilton name drops designers to a level that I found distracting. Once we’ve established she wears high-end clothing, knowing the brand is irrelevent to me. But I freely admit that could just be me, since I am obviously no fashionista.

The other problem I have is with the US publisher. The Disciple of Las Vegas is second in a five-book series, but it’s the first one published in the US. Why the second?! And where are the rest? I want to read the entire series, but we can’t get them here. Yet. Picador, are you listening? Give us all the Ava Lee novels, please? Now!

Because I really want to read them all!

FIND THE HERE. BUY THEM HERE. KEP BOOKS HERE.

-Seattle Mystery Bookshop

(Source: seattlemystery.com)

Freaks - A Book Review

Kieran Larwood - Freaks

Amber Recommends:

What do a strong man/giant, a woman with trick rats, an assassin, a monkey boy and a wolf girl all have in common? They are part of a Victorian era freak show. Before the times of political correctness, people looking for cheap entertainment would spend a penny or two and visit these side shows to stare at two headed lambs and people with unfortunate appearances.

Till is a mudlark a little kid who, due to her dire circumstances, looks for tossed away junk in the Thames. Items she and her family can sell to traders in order to keep body and soul together. One night needing a bit of relief and entertainment she sneaks into show, Plumpscuttle’s Peculiars, where she meets Sheba.

Sheba is a wolf girl, with very few good memories, no idea where she came from or who her parents are. Sheba has always been a side show freak, which doesn’t bother her very much, thing could be a whole lot worse. When Till meets Sheba they find the beginning of a friendship between them.

A day or two later there is a knock on the gate of the Peculiars’ house; it is Till’s parents. Till has disappeared without a trace while she was picking in the mud and they are beside themselves with worry. The police won’t help them, they are to poor and low class for the authorities to take notice of their problem. So they come to Plumscuttle’s Peculiars and ask them for help finding Till, and the other missing children.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a great historical middle book, that never tries to cram extraneous knowledge into the book. The author did a great job in making the Victorian era slums come alive with the vocabulary, people and smells. While the author is dealing with characters who are part of a side show, he does a wonderful job in making them human and accessible. Weaving messages, camouflaging lessons and showing ideas without beating the reader over the head about accepting people for who they are and not judging them by their cover, or appearance.

The mystery is fast-paced and engaging, never a dull moment. You root for Sheba and the Peculiars on in trying to find Till and the other missing children before it is to late. I would recommend it for girls (or open minded boys, since Monkeyboy is a fantastic character for them, full of well gross boy humor) 9-12. The other great thing the author does, is the last chpter goes over the history he uses in the book, side shows and their employees, Victoria era London, The Great Exhibition in Hyde Park in 1851 the poor and much more!

Find them here. Buy them here. Keep books here.

Seattle Mystery Bookshop

Interred with Their Bones: Book Review

Fran Recommends:

I wasn’t going to review Jennifer Lee Carrell’s, Interred with Their Bones because there were a couple of things that I found a bit awkward.

However.

One of the hallmarks of a really good book is how it digs itself into you and won’t let go, one of those you find yourself thinking about long after you’ve put it down. This one did that. I’ve been tossing some of the ideas that she’s presented around in my head, and she’s made me think and re-assess some ideas I’ve held.

The story is about a Shakespearean scholar who has given up research to direct Shakespeare’s plays. Kate Shelton’s been given a great opportunity to direct Hamlet in the reconstructed Globe Theatre in London, quite an opportunity for an American. However, her mentor, Roz Howard, shows up to a rehearsal, gives Kate a package and arranges to meet her later to explain. But then the theatre catches fire, ironically enough on the same date, June 29th, that the original Globe burned, and Roz is found dead. This begins a huge chase across England, the US and Spain to find a missing Shakespearean manuscript.

Let’s get the problems I perceived out of the way – and do remember, this is my perception and others may very well think I’m loony. I thought there were a few too many suspicious coincidences, I felt that she underutilized a character that should have been given greater prominence, and I found myself muddled in trying to keep all the various earls and dukes and whatnot straight, although that last one may be just my mental incapabilities.

But Ms. Carrell is a scholar, and her research and love of the subject is phenomenal, and I found myself sucked into the various debates that I’ve been aware of through the years, the idea that Shakespeare didn’t actually write the books, that there are others who might be better contenders, that there are people who are adamant that only Shakespeare himself could create such magnificent work. I also got caught up in her joy in the way people are influenced by Shakespeare even though they don’t realize it.

And I had forgotten that Shakespeare lived not only during the reign of Elizabeth, but also the time of King James and all that that implies, especially Biblically.

So I have to tell you that if you want a fast-paced read with outstanding scholarship, and if you liked Michael Gruber’s The Book of Air and Shadows then I think you should ignore my nit-picking and pick this one up!

Mary Higgins Clark Award Nominee & Review

Fran Recommends:

Rebecca Cantrell’s A City Of Broken Glass

One Of The 2013 Edgar Nominees for the Mary Higgins Clark Award

Year Zero Book Review

Rob Reid - Year Zero

Fran Recommends:

This review is for people who loved Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide” series. If those sorts of books aren’t your thing, this one won’t be either.

Okay, just us? Year Zero by Rob Reid. It’s a hoot! You’ll have music you think you’ve forgotten rumbling through your head for days!

Nick Carter is a music copyright attorney in New York, on the verge of being promoted (if he can do something brilliant and unexpected to impress his boss, Judy) or canned (substantially more likely), when a couple of aliens come to his office hoping to recruit him into helping them save our planet. You see, on October 13, 1977, all the various beings in the Refined League (as it’s known by all the civilized members, of whom we’re nowhere close to being one) discovered that our planet has the one thing that can be found only here on Earth: Music.

And from that point on, they’ve been downloading all our music and spreading it around the Universe. The catch is that our laws say that royalties must be paid, and no one in the Refined League has paid anything, which means they owe us for back royalties. They owe us a lot. More than the Universe has available to pay us.

So there are some who figure that they’ll encourage us to blow ourselves up (they’d never kill us, that would be uncivilized !), and that’ll wipe out the back debt AND they can keep the music they’ve already got.

From that point on, things take off. Year Zero is a non-stop, rollicking roller coaster. It’s a quick read, and it’s tons of fun, and it even comes with playlists for the aliens! I’ve spent a lot of time listening to artists I’ve never heard of, and lots that I have, if only to wipe out the fact that the first song the aliens ever heard was the theme from “Welcome Back, Kotter”, which is still stuck in my head.

This just rocketed onto my Top Ten list, it’s that good!

-Seattle Mystery Bookshop

The Blood Gospel - A Review

Rebecca Cantrell & James Rollins - The Blood Gospel

JB recommends:

Rebecca Cantrell and James Rollins have teamed up to co-write a thriller, The Blood Gospel. With any of these joint efforts, you never know who is responsible for what in the book but it is a very smooth thriller with great velocity. Well, if you had bad guys like this after you, you wouldn’t sleep either.

Three individuals are brought together after an earthquake splits the sacred site of Masada: a US archeologist, Dr. Erin Granger, an American expert in military forensics, Sgt. Jordan Stone, and a very mysterious priest sent by the Vatican, Father Rhun Korza. Granger and Stone don’t really understand they they’ve been plucked out of their world and inserted into this one and Korza isn’t saying much. But danger and threats meet them, they find that they can work together even if they don’t know if they can trust one another and they’re quickly on their way to Germany, then a different place in Germany, and eventually to… well, as I said, it is a mobile narrative.

Early in the story, you learn (so I’m not giving anything away here) that Father Korza is a member of an ultra-secret force housed in Rome – the Order of the Sanguines – and their purpose is to protect the world from Evil (yeah, you have to capitalize it). But if you know your word roots, you’ll get a clue to who they are from the name of the order. And, early on, you learn that the sides of Good and Evil are after the same thing exposed by the rift at Masada: The Blood Gospel, a gospel said to be written by Jesus himself with his own blood.

Any other plot points would be mean. Don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun. Because the book is great fun. Still, I have to make two criticisms of the book: first, there’s a bit to much of a junior-high romantic triangle between the three lead actors, too much soap opera for me; and the book is, well, very religious – for the entire story to work, you have to accept the history and tenets of Christianity as true for the story to work.

But, with those small complaints, I’d recommend this to anyone looking for an E ticket thrill-ride. And, as the cover of the advance reader’s copy says “The Order of the Sanguines Series”, it seems that more are headed our way. COOL!

Fran here: Let me second everything JB said! This is a powerhouse fun-ride, and because it’s Rebecca Cantrell and James Rollins piloting us through it, you know that the writing is going to be great and the science accurate and breathtaking. I wasn’t bothered by the same issues JB was; I was a bit exhausted by how beautiful everyone was and how high-end all the toys were, but in action adventures like this one, that’s just part of the territory, I think.

I can’t wait to see what happens next!

-Seattle Mystery Bookshop

(Source: seattlemystery.com)

The Fat Man - Book Review

(Source: seattlemystery.com)

The Right Hand By Derek Haas - Book Review

Signing Saturday November 24^th at 2:00 p.m.

Fran and Adele Recommend:

Are you looking for action? Do you like fast-paced spy novels? Then have I got a book for you!

The Right Hand by Derek Haasis the book you’re looking for.

This is not one of his “Assassin” books. In The Right Hand, Haas introduces us to Austin Clay, covert CIA operative who does those things we all know happen but we pretend we don’t. The left hand can’t know what the right hand is doing — plausible deniability, you know — but some dark deeds must be done all the same. Clay is one of the best, and because his Russian is flawless, he is sent to Moscow to retrieve a compromised operative. It should be fairly routine, and it’s the sort of thing Clay excels at: get the assignment, do the job, forget about it, move on to the next assignment.

And even the complication that mucks things up should be no real big deal. It’s not as if Clay hasn’t run into trouble before. But this time, this particular complication is shaking Clay’s cool reserve, and he knows that if he becomes emotionally involved, things can take bloody turns. Still, he has to do what he knows to be necessary, even if it means going against orders.

Derek Haas has a proven track record of telling great stories at breakneck speed. From his Silver Bear series through his screenwriting credits (the latest 3:10 to Yuma, “Chicago Fire”) and now to The Right Hand, he proves he’s a master. And we say that, not simply because of some of the twists he throws in, but also because of where he steps away from the predictable. I can’t say more without spoilers, so let us just warn you that you may as well set aside an afternoon to read this, because once you start, you’re not going to want to stop reading until the last page is turned.

This is Adele - Janine and Fran have been on me to read Derek for quite a while and I just read The Right Hand. What can I say, WOW! If you like action, this is the book for you. It looks like now I have to move one of my books piles over to make room for the rest of Derek’s books.

-Seattle Mtystery Bookshop

(Source: seattlemystery.com)

Unbroken

Paula Morris - Unbroken: A Ruined Novel

Amber recommends:

A year has passed since the events in Lafayette Cemetery, where the Bowman Curse finally came to an end. Rebecca is back in NY and is cautiously happy when her father floats the idea of going back to New Orleans for spring break, while he works. This time will be different, with her best friend Ling coming with her, Rebecca is excited/trepidatious about returning to her other home again. A definite upside will be seeing Anton Grey….

However while texting the news to Anton, she runs into a boy with striking blue eyes, who saw her walking thru New Orleans the year before with Lisette…the ghost at the heart of the Bowman Curse. And he is asking for her help, to find a missing locket, otherwise he is staring down eternity as a ghost.

If things weren’t complicated enough Toby (one of the families caught up in the curse), who blames Rebecca for what happened the previous year, is back in New Orleans and is looking for revenge. Since Lissette isn’t there to exact vengeance on (and since she was a ghost a bit difficult), Rebecca will just have to do.

This was an interesting follow up to Ruined, a book I read and loved last year. I enjoyed catching up with Rebecca, and enjoyed how the author was able to slide a new ghost into her life.

It is strong follow up to Ruined. The only critique I have is - this installment had much stronger social commentary in it (how gentrification is a double edged sword, or volunteer opportunities and strategies available to people to help their cities), which was not as subtly or as deftly woven into the plot, and I think that detracted from the ultimate focus of the book, the ghost haunting New Orleans and Rebecca.

Having said this, I did enjoy reading the book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys atmospheric and slightly gothic ghost stories. I enjoyed the characters and returning to New Orleans with Rebecca. And I cannot say enough great things about Paula’s treatment of ghosts and the conclusion of the story is absolutely fantastic.

You do need to read Ruined first, otherwise the events in Unbroken will seem a bit disjointed and hard to follow. I would recommend this for a female reader (sorry guys, it is told from Rebecca’s point of view exclusively), 10+.

Two Graves

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child - Two Graves

Fran recommends:

To all fans of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s powerhouse series involving Special Agent Pendergast: Two Graves (no signed copies that I’m aware of but stay tuned, out December 11^th) is a must read. For those who are not familiar with their wily, Sherlockian protagonist, this is not the book to start with. I’d say start with Relic or even The Cabinet of Curiosities. What happens in Two Graves is part of an ongoing story arc, and the full impact won’t hit unless you’re familiar with the characters.

That being said, fellow fans, this is a must-read. I can’t say much about the plot because it’s ALL spoilers. Let me just pose these two questions: What would it take to get the relentless Pendergast to give up chasing someone who has done him greivous injury? To get Pendergast to give up on everything? And the second part of the question is, what would bring him back once he’s made up his mind?

I didn’t see the answers to either question coming, and the twists and turns Preston and Child have brought to this story line are breathtaking. Oh, and one of Constance’s secrets is revealed. I can’t wait to see where Preston and Child take the story next!

-Seattle Mystery Bookshop