Review: The Ninth Man

The Ninth Man by Steve Berry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Ninth Man by Steve Berry and Grant Blackwood from Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley.

The Ninth Man by Steve Berry and Grant Blackwood is part of the Cotton Malone universe of books but centers on Luke Daniels.  For anyone waiting for Luke to get his own book, here it is!  You could read this as a standalone.  Nothing in here hinges on having read the Cotton Malone series.  If you like your mystery/thrillers with a good dose of real history, check this out!

Luke is off duty when he gets contacted by an old friend for help.  He finds himself entangled in a web to cover up one of the greatest mysteries of all time, who really killed John F. Kennedy?  I know you are probably thinking you already know the answer.  But do you?  I thought I had read all the theories and yet, this book postulates something I hadn't really considered.  Even better, they didn't just make up this idea.  There is actually research that supports it!  Very intriguing.  

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Review: Women Talking

Women Talking by Miriam Toews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Women Talking by Miriam Toews is based on a true story of a community of Mennonite women.  If you are sensitive to discussions of rape and/or child abuse, you will want to proceed with caution with this book.  The book has been made into a movie.  I haven't seen it yet to be able to make a comparison.  I am glad I read the book though because I love an epistolary novel.  

The book is told through the minutes of meetings the women held to determine how they will respond to the horrific situation in their community.  Because the women can't read or write, they invite the community school teacher to take the minutes.  It is interesting that we can't even hear their stories without it being told through the lens of a man.  And while this is a snapshot of a small, isolated, religious community, it is surprisingly relevant to the issues women are facing around the world and how they react to those issues.  There are still plenty of people who choose "do nothing" when faced with evil.  This book will make you think and maybe cry, but it will also make you laugh.  It might even make you hopeful.  

Bonus points for having a character who loves her horses as much as any family members.  I would also do whatever it took to protect my animal family.  

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Review: The Memory of Animals

The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advance Reader's Copy of The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller from Tin House via NetGalley.

Even though I received an ARC of The Memory of Animals by Claire Fuller, I bought a copy at a recent event where Claire was talking about her writing and did a reading from this.  I'll admit, when she read, some things clicked that I missed when I was reading.   The book is partially told in an epistolary way, which I absolutely love.  The letters to H give us insight into the main character's life prior to the events in the book.  I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a pandemic, and it may feel too soon even though Claire started writing this pre-COVID.   Just when you think this is straight dystopian fiction, there's an element that takes us in a wild direction.   I identified a lot with Neffy and would probably find myself in a similar situation under her circumstances. 

Bonus points for the love of cephalopods!  People really do underestimate how smart they are.  Maybe this book will make some converts.    

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Review: The Twyford Code

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett is a mind-bending mystery told through a series of transcriptions of voice notes.  If you have ever used talk-to-text technology, you know you can get some unique results.  This book takes that to the next level and makes for a very unique reading experience.  You might think it would make for a great audiobook and yet, I think it would lose part of the mystery if you heard the voice notes instead of read them.  The ending was completely unexpected.  If you love a good puzzle, give this book a read!

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Review: Qualityland

Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling because of the cover.  If I lived in Qualityland, a drone would have delivered this book to my door before I even knew I wanted it.  That drone would have been right.  You could maybe call this dystopian science fiction, but I felt there was more hope to it than that.  Not much hope, just a smidge.  The thing is it doesn't feel like we are that far off from living in Qualityland.  I'm pretty sure there are people who would actually love to accelerate us to the point that we were.  We already have algorithms feeding us self-selecting content so that we never have to see something that challenges our worldview.  It's crazy, and when you read this book, you realize just how crazy and ridiculous the world is becoming.  

I loved the format used to tell this story.  I'd put it in the epistolary category for those into that.  It's dark and funny.  It's satire at its finest.  I think fans of Marvin the Paranoid Android will also enjoy this book.  

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Review: The Bone Hacker

The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure:  I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs from Scribner via NetGalley.

The Bone Hacker is the 22nd book in the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs.  This is a fairly stand alone book if you haven't read the previous ones.  I would say that it felt like a departure from the rest of the series which tend to be set in similar places with more familiar characters.  If you haven't read any others in the series, this one isn't going to give you an idea of the rest.  

This time we are off to the Caribbean!  I didn't expect that at all.  With Tempe out of her element, you really can't be sure who to trust.  Having assisted law enforcement in the islands before, the inclusion of the challenges they face in regards to resources is very real.  They are too small to have all the experts and equipment available to them all the time.  They often rely on services from larger countries, but this can mean delays in getting answers.  As a side note, as much as I love a beach, I'll admit I missed having Birdie along for the ride.  

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