Monthly Archives: November 2020

1st novel, head, mystery, reviews, SF, thriller

Lawrence Wright — The End of October

A well-researched pandemic novel. Reading the book, I learned a lot—interesting facts and history about viruses and epidemics—more than I wanted in a thriller. It felt almost like nonfiction. There were side trips that didn’t add to the story, such as the chapter about Henry’s family camping trip. Maybe the author was trying to give us a break from the science and political unrest.

This was a timely release, during the COVID-19 epidemic. Written before this disease cropped up, it’s surprising how much prediction was correct, but thankfully, our current crisis isn’t nearly as bad as the one in this story, and the world hasn’t responded in quite such a negative way.

character, head, heart, mystery, reviews

Kristen Lepionka — What You Want to See

I read books 1 and 2 of this series back to back. To me, the second is a bit better than the first. PI Roxane Weary is jumping to wrong conclusions less often and making fewer dumb decisions, probably because she’s drinking less and not running around in a drunken haze as she was in the first book. She still shuts herself off from friends and family but grows closer to them toward the end. I like the relationship she develops with Selby, taking her under her wing.

There are too many characters to follow. Marin, the woman who dies early in the story and leads Roxane down the path of solving her murder, is one of the worst of many bad guys. She’s into all sorts of thefts and scams.

The plot jumps around a lot, but overall I enjoyed the read.

1st novel, character, mystery, reviews

Kristen Lepionka — Last Place You Look

Why is it that every book I read lately has an alcoholic protagonist? The characters in this book are defined well, but I was aggravated by PI Roxane Weary and her drinking, which led her into trouble. She jumped to conclusions, made stupid decisions, and treated everyone around her with anger and disdain—even friends and family. The story was good, but could have been written without an unlikable main character.

1st novel, character, head, mystery, reviews, setting

J.S. James — River Run

Oregon’s Willamette River is such a strong presence in this novel that it almost becomes the main character. Sheriff’s Deputy Delia Chavez is obsessed with fear of the river, which took her baby brother away from her when she was five years old. But murders are happening on the river, and she has to deal with it to solve them.

As a character, Delia is messed up and angry, but I liked her. The author does a good job of giving insights into both good and bad actors in the story. A good plot kept my attention through to the end.