A Drop of the Hard Stuff by Lawrence Block

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A reason I enjoyed this novel so much is the author skillfully reveals much of the character of the protagonist, Matthew Scudder, through conversations and Matt's inner monologue while advancing the story so the mystery gets solved by Matt before this reader did. The reader can empathize and get involved in this fictive dream.

The novel is set-up with Matt telling a story about his past to a saloonkeeper, Mick Ballou, and that way the story has a certain timelessness to this narrative so that it can be enjoyed by fans of the sixteen Matthew Scudder novels or by a first time reader. You don't even have to be a fan of the mystery genre because this is well-written fiction.





View all my reviews

For Better, For Murder by Lisa Bork

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a new-to-me author of a mystery with a female protagonist. The author has written a second one so I'll check that out too.



View all my reviews

Ten Who Dared by Desmond Wilcox

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


The eleven profiled subjects are Christopher Columbus, Francisco Pizarro, James Cook, Alexander von Humboldt, Jedediah Smith, Robert Burke and William Wills, Henry Morton Stanley, Charles M. Doughty, Mary Kingsley, and Roald Amundsen. Robert Burke and William Wills were in the same expedition to travel through the middle of Australia from south to north. A Chronology of Exploration and Bibliography may lead you to more information.



View all my reviews

Pumped for Murder by Elaine Viets

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Pumped for Murder is the tenth book in the Dead-End Job Mystery series, and I enjoyed this one as much as any of the others. The Library Journal classifies this series as humorous mysteries with clever premises.



View all my reviews

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed the third Flavia de Luce mystery as much as I enjoyed the first two.



View all my reviews

Park Profiles: Exploring Canada's Spectacular National Parks by National Geographic Society

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


4 stars for the photography of Raymond Gehman.



View all my reviews

The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was not disappointed in the second novel in the Flavia De Luce series. This eleven-year old detective involves us in yet another mystery in her village and the farms in the area of her ancestral home.
Books in the Flavia de Luce series have been published in 34 countries and 31 languages. There seems to be no excuse for you not to try one.



View all my reviews

The Frontiersmen by Allan W. Eckert

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Frontiersmen provides the factual history of the opening for white settlers of territories that would become the states of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana in the United States of America in a readable narrative form. Limiting the history to the lifespan of Simon Kenton gives this book a focus and still allows stories about Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark, Simon Girty, Tecumseh, the Prophet and Blue Jacket to be told. Military adventures of Arthur St. Clair, Mad Anthony Wayne, William Henry Harrison, and Oliver Hazard Perry are included. The book provides maps, chapter lists, list of Indian characters, glossary of Shawnee words and phrases, and an index.

While it is an enjoyable read, it also requires a lot of effort to recall all the persons mentioned in the scenes. A good index is helpful.



View all my reviews

Park Profiles: America's Hidden Treasures by National Geographic Society

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


There is only one page for the Parks at a Glance information so I keep the rating at four stars. The photographs are National Geographic quality. I appreciate having multiple authors for the text of this book.



View all my reviews

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


5 stars is my rating for I shall buttonhole all friends who read cozy mysteries to tell them they must meet this 11-year old protagonist. Beware all who would ignore her or condensend that they would not be bothered by whatever this girl might have to say.



View all my reviews

Park Profiles: Our Inviting Eastern Parklands by National Geographic Society

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I rated this book higher than the last two I read from this series for there are different writers for each park covered and at the end of each chapter is a page with information about how to get there, what to see and what to do. These changes made the text more interesting to me.



View all my reviews