Harper Torch, 1983 ISBN 0060512237 (ISBN13: 9780060512231) Part of the Mysterious USA Reading Challenge Having spent a little of my childhood in early 1980s Miami—I am Colombian, after all—this novel brought back a lot of memories and highlighted how much Miami has changed since then. Elmore Leonard’s LaBrava perfectly captures a time and a place, […]
Tag Archives: mystery
January
12
Magical, murderous tornadoes in Kansas: The Virgin of Small Plains, Nancy Pickard
posted by lasesana
**** Ballantine Books, 2006 ISBN 0345470990 (ISBN13: 9780345470997) Part of the Mysterious USA Mystery reading challenge Let me start by saying The Virgin of Small Plains has very little—if anything—to do with religion. The novel opens in the middle of a blizzard; it is January 1987 in Kansas and the weather is threatening to kill […]
January
09
Crazy, kooky Savannah: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
posted by lasesana
****1/2 Vintage, 1994 ISBN 0679751521 (ISBN13: 9780679751526) “You mustn’t be taken in by the moonlight and magnolias. There’s more to Savannah than that.” What this book lacked in the “mystery” category, it more than made up for it in rich description, sensuality and humor, prefect from my Mysterious USA Reading Challenge. I also loved the movie and […]
December
29
DC, My Hometown: The Night Gardener, George Pelecanos
posted by lasesana
****1/2 Little, Brown and Company, 2006 ISBN 0316156507 (ISBN13: 9780316156509) In an interview with Scott Butki of Blogcritics magazine, Pelecanos is asked to comment on his detailed descriptions of Washington D.C. in The Night Gardener. “I’m trying to leave a record of this town,” he answers, making this novel perfect for my Mysterious USA Reading Challenge because […]
December
22
Rugged, Wild and Scenic Wyoming: The Cold Dish, Craig Johnson
posted by lasesana
***** Penguin, 2004 ISBN 0143036424 (ISBN13: 9780143036425) Part of my Mysterious USA Reading Challenge As always, NO SPOILERS… Craig Johnson’s The Cold Dish has been my favorite book I’ve read for this challenge so far. Being a fan of the show inspired by the Walt Longmire series, I was expecting this novel to be good, […]
December
11
Time slows down in Mississippi: The Quiet Game, Greg Iles
posted by lasesana
**** 1999 ISBN 0340686030 (ISBN13: 9780340686034) Part of the Mysterious USA book challenge This book was perfect for my Mysterious USA book challenge; it made me want to visit Natchez. At first, The Quiet Game seems like a generic lawyer-turns-writer courtroom drama, but it is much better than most. Penn Cage is a Natchez native […]
December
02
Kathy Reichs’ Déjà Dead, TV’s “Bones:” Read THIS, don’t watch THAT
posted by lasesana
*** ½ Pocket Books, 1997 0671011367 (ISBN13: 9780671011369) SPOILER ALERT I went on a bit of a rant with this one… I’ve been writing this review in my head since page three. First and foremost, what jumps off the page the most in Deja Dead is how different Kathy Reichs’ Dr. Temperance Brennan is from the […]
September
29
Kind of boring Wisconsin but keeps you guessing: Uncommon Grounds by Sandra Balzo
posted by lasesana
** ½ Part of my Mysterious USA Challenge Macavity Award Nominee for Best First Mystery Novel (2005), Anthony Award Nominee for Best First Novel (2005) Maybe I’m being a little unfair. It’s not that Uncommon Grounds as a mystery novel is boring, it’s more that Wisconsin is not depicted as a very fun or interesting place. […]
August
03
Majestic Alaska: A Cold Day for Murder, Dana Stabenow
posted by lasesana
*** 1/2 Part of my Mysterious USA Challenge Berkley, 1992 042513301X (ISBN13: 9780425133019) Winner, Edgar Award, 1993 A Cold Day for Murder introduces Kate Shugak, a young Aleut woman who worked in the Anchorage D.A.’s office, but has returned to her home in a fictional park in northern Alaska after a horrifying experience with a child molester. […]
August
03
Mysterious USA Reading Challenge
posted by lasesana
Inspired by an article about a writer who read books from 196 countries to broaden her horizons, I decided to challenge myself as well. Not being a native of the USA, but living here for the past 16 years, I want to read and review one mystery novel from each of the 50 states. I’m […]
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