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.





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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.



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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.



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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.



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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.



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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.



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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.



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