What I'm reading...

I finished Fatal Error early on the morning of Memorial Day. It was a good entry in Jance's Ali Reynold's series. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives and location changes in the book, and the mystery was well-constructed. This isn't a "great literature"-type read, but certainly enjoyable for Jance/mystery fans.

I read several chapters in A Girl Named Zippy, but it was just a little too mellow - I wanted something with more tension. So I picked up See No Evil by Allison Brennan.

I've read several other Allison Brennan books, which generally seem to share the common traits of having decent mysteries but tend to the grisly and lascivious side.  In my opinion she relies too heavily on sexual tension (and escapades). Really, her mysteries are well-enough designed that she needn't go for the tawdry. Oh, well these are books for mass-market consumption and entertainment. BTW, if you happen to read Brennan, this book is part of the Kincaid family saga/series.

After See No Evil I pulled another of Wombat's paperbacks off of the pile. This one was Blind Spot by Terri Persons. It looks like there are at least two more in the series (according to Amazon), and I know I have at least one on the shelf. I actually ended up liking this quite a bit, despite the contrivance of the main character having "special powers" (the ability to see through the killer's eyes). Publisher's Weekly didn't give it a very good review, but it held my attention and I'm certainly willing to read another in the series.

I went to the main branch of the library on Saturday to pick up Shanghai Girls by Lisa See (I have Dreams of Joy on hold - the library doesn't have its copies yet) and of course scoped out the new books section. My Name is Mary Sutter (by Robin Oliviera) caught my eye - I'm definitely a sucker for good historical fiction! So far Mary Sutter is good with regard to historical detail and ambiance; the character development is growing in complexity and the plot is picking up as the war (the Civil War, that is) gears up. I'm about a third of the way into it, and mostly enjoying the story. I'll probably pause at the mid-point and read a gory mystery and then come back to it (as if the Civil War weren't gory enough, but....). Look for a longer review next week, probably.

~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)