Review: We Chase Shadows

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As expected, We Solve Murders is now officially a new series from Osman, who seems to be alternating between this series and The Thursday Murder Club for publication each calendar year. As another international mystery, this one goes to a lot of great places around the world, but it's really rooted in a mysterious incident in Málaga, Spain, in 2001. And unlike the first book, there's a lot fewer annoying and obnoxious side characters to go around, although We Solve Murders now has to contend with a certain in-universe fame, to the point where one of the detectives gets an appearance on The Graham Norton Show. I'm sure there'll eventually be a nice crossover episode, but we'll have to wait a while for that one, I'm sure.

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Review: Anger Is Only a Shadow

Anger Is Only a Shadow by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn’t know GR was finally giving us an option to give fractional star ratings, so this book is now the first to truly get an official fractional rating from me with what Gordon Ramsay would call “a very strong four point five.” Mixing poetry and prose as is her way, Acevedo returns to the YA sphere with a new story about Lil, who’s wound up on court ordered supervision with some very strict regulators down in old DC, all while she works to deepen connections with new friends, let go of the toxic old ones, and also to find out what the hell is happening to her brother Aldwin, who’s clearly having a severe crisis (it’s easy to guess what his particular condition is, but the story doesn’t confirm it until nearly the end.) Additionally, Acevedo puts in a lot of focus on Afro-Dominican culture as usual, but also on the Indigenous Salvadoran culture of Lil’s mom and her family, who still speak some Nahua in addition to Spanish. I really hope to see this one making a big splash at the literary awards the way Acevedo’s books usually do…

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Review: Scion

Scion by James Islington
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

James Islington said that this little cyberpunk novella was a nice little diversion for him in between entries in his current epic fantasy saga, but for the rest of us, I guess not so much. Though it boasts the prettiest packaging of all of Islington’s books, especially getting the spredge treatment as is so common these days, I guess there’s a reason why the dust jacket copy is only in the protagonist’s POV and doesn’t really tell us much about the book itself. Because while it’s fast moving and action packed - both very unusual to hear about an Islington book - it’s also very indistinguishable from almost everything else in the genre, being far more oriented towards tropes than plot or characters. And yet, Islington seems ready to make a series out of this one. I probably won’t be reading, sadly.

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Review: The Queen

The Queen by Nick Cutter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Yeah…that was a thirty-WTF pileup of a horror story if ever there was one. Promising to follow its narrative over a single day (in truth, though, it extends beyond that point), this book follows a high schooler in Cutter’s Ontario hometown as she finds a cell phone receiving texts from her friend who’s been missing for a month, telling her to go to different places to solve the mystery of what happened to her. Heavily inspired by a lot of rare and obscure scary stories, and also Thirteen Reasons Why - I suspect no one informed Cutter that Jay Asher was a creep and a half before he praised him in the acknowledgments - it’s a gripping book, but for a lot of seriously wrong and disturbing reasons. Still, though, I could almost see Zach Cregger executive producing a film adaptation, if not outright writing or directing it.

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Review: Ashes at the Altar

Ashes at the Altar by LaDarrion Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As expected, LaDarrion Williams concludes his debut trilogy with as much explosive action and magic as the students and faculty of Caiman U could ask for. Five hundred more sprawling pages of family drama and warring magical factions build to all the heads, at Caiman and at small towns across Mississippi and Alabama, and of course the Big Easy herself, and it truly does take it all for Malik, Taye, Dom, D Low, Savon, and all their friends and families to put things right for this generation and all their followers. To this trilogy, I now bid ave atque vale, but with that epilogue, I do hope to see a great follow up in the future, someday…

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Review: Empire

Empire by Sabaa Tahir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, thank you, Sabaa Tahir. Thank you for the heartbreak, and the complex plotting, and the heartbreak, and the ever darkening wartime morality, and the heartbreak, and the wide ranging perspectives of what it means to save the world, and did I mention the heartbreak? Because it’s not just the familial and romantic losses that set the stage here, it’s the death of a character I have a feeling you’ve been looking for a chance to kill off for years. Almost a decade at this point, even. And their time has finally come, and I for one am devastated about it. But if there’s one thing I can trust you, Tahir, to pull off, it’s wrapping everything up with just the right amount of sacrifice to our hearts and to our favorite characters. For now, I again bid this Empire ave atque vale, but I am once again ready to read whatever comes next, no matter what.

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Review: A Trade of Blood

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ana and Din return for their third mystery, and unlike with Robert Jackson Bennett’s other stories, it looks like this will not be a trilogy conclusion. And thank God for that, because each book in this saga has given us just another little taste of the secrets of the empire, and I hope to see at least one or two more books to extend deeper into its heart. But for now, we’re now progressing into a middle ring of the imperial land, with a most insidious mystery involving a pair of feuding families in the style of Romeo & Juliet - with Din’s previously unseen sister Fotia, Fo for short, now betrothed to a young man in one of those families - and some terrifying mind controlling fungus that isn’t supposed to infect humans, and yet. For this book, Bennett is giving us The Last of Us with a Clue expansion pack, and I’m really hoping this one gets another Hugo like the first book because it bloody deserves one.

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Review: Firestorm

Firestorm by Nevada Barr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice..." And for this fourth Anna Pigeon novel, Barr couldn't decide on one or the other, so why not both? Set at Lassen Volcanic National Park, the book begins with a fire raging through the woods, quickly followed by a winter storm to trap Anna with several other wildland firefighters, one of whom is almost certainly a murderer. With its particular setting in far Northern California, it almost feels prophetic, having a wildfire so close to winter in the same region as the Camp Fire that devastated the town of Paradise in 2018. And unlike the previous book, this one, with its mountain setting and volatile weather, could easily be adapted into an episode of the USA/Crave series with a simple setting switch to Glacier National Park.

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Review: Ill Wind

Ill Wind by Nevada Barr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The third Anna Pigeon novel returns to the same sort of environment as the first book in the series, this time set at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, where Anna comes to appreciate the remains of the old Native culture (this book still calls them by an old name now considered outdated, though it wasn’t seen as such in 1995), while also having to deal with a strange sickness befalling park visitors. With a more urgent case and its desert southwest setting, this book feels like it calls forward to some of those New Mexican thrillers of latter day Preston & Child. Though it’d be tough to adapt for the USA/Crave series unless they decided to move settings to Colorado in a future season, this one is going to stand out for me among Barr’s books by the time I’ve caught up on her backlist.

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Review: A Superior Death

A Superior Death by Nevada Barr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Anna Pigeon’s second story trades in the Texan desert heat of Guadalupe Mountain National Park for the eerie chills of Isle Royale, and all the shipwrecks in Lake Superior surrounding the park. This story probably won’t be so easily adaptable for the USA/Crave TV series, since I can’t imagine a place as landlocked as Glacier would have too many shipwrecks to spare. But it’s a good shift in tone away from the first book, and shows the promise of how diverse the environments in this series will be as it covers park after park across the country.

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Review: The Devil by Name

The Devil by Name by Keith Rosson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fever House ended with the promise of a nearly uncontrollable apocalypse as the riots that inflamed Portland spread all around the world, and this book concludes the duology with the survivors struggling to piece together what's left, and potentially track down someone who may be able to fix the devil's damage. In order to that, they have to get the chosen one out of France - which makes me wonder how much of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Rosson had been watching while he wrote this book. Though this book is a bit repetitive of some of its predecessor's in-universe corporate and governmental record-keeping, it's still a fast paced dark thriller, and while there's definitely room to see where a third book would go, Rosson nevertheless did a great job sticking the landing in this book. Therefore, to Fever House, I now bid ave atque vale.

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Review: Fever House

Fever House by Keith Rosson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first of a duology set in Portland that helps make Keith Rosson the truest heir apparent to Stephen King's empire of Northeastern horror, with Rosson heading up the Northwestern outpost of King's style. It's like if The Stand was split into two books, with Randall Flagg largely hanging in the periphery, and a particular angel held under the corporate auspices of the US government, all while a whole bunch of regular people stuck in various seedy underbellies are forced to contend with a cursed artifact poised to wreck the world. For more details, see Book 2...

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Review: The Dorians

The Dorians by Nick Cutter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book caught my eye at Indigo on my trip to Vancouver, BC (the Granville store to be precise), and I put down a nice red C$50 note on this, plus a goosey little bag to store my souvenirs. And let me tell you, it was money well spent. A uniquely Canadian spin on certain Frankenstein tropes, with a touch of Jurassic Park and Cocoon in the DNA, it’s a fast paced and very creepy sci fi horror story about a group of oldsters pulled out of their MAID consultations (yes, in the event of a film adaptation it’ll have to be Canadian or else that part will really have to be changed) to be subject to the experimental whims of a teenage super genius. It’s perfect for spooky season, and only after I got my copy up north did I see that Beaverton library had it too. But I’ll be using the library to instead work my way through Cutter’s backlist…

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Review: Heaven's River

Heaven's River by Dennis E. Taylor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Bobiverse was starting to lose me with Book 3, but this book, nearly double the length of its predecessor, nevertheless held my interest far better than All These Worlds ever did. Part of the reason for that, I think, was because it predominantly follows the Bobs on one particular world, getting a deep dive into the culture of the seemingly cute and cuddly - but also very smart and cunning - Quinlan species. But also, part of it was the fact that I brought my library copy of the book on a road trip to the author's homeland, and I was able to sit and read some bits and pieces of it up near the scenic views of the Capilano Reservoir above North Vancouver, BC. Though the book did drag on a bit longer than it should have, it was the intricacies of Quinlan culture that made me appreciate it the most, and now I can safely say I'm truly ready for the fifth (and final?) book.

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Review: All These Worlds

All These Worlds by Dennis E. Taylor
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So…originally, this was the end of the series? Before Saga Press bought it up and reissued all the hardcovers, plus text editions of the follow up Audible originals? That is, if I have my understanding of this series and its jump from indie to mainstream correctly. I probably don’t, but then again, I can say the same about Dungeon Crawler Carl. Similarly to that series, just as I suspected, this one is starting to very slowly lose me, but for the opposite reason. Whereas Dinniman’s books sprawl like a Southern California metropolis, this series has turned into less of a single story and more of a collection of vignettes that happen to take place over a long period of time. And over that time, the whip smart social commentary of the earlier books fades away, even while the book tries to explore more of the alien societies the Bobs meet. I’ll keep reading at least through book 4, but I may just find myself giving up after that. We’ll see.

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Review: Track of the Cat

Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first entry in this long running series that’s been on my periphery for years, it only crossed my radar for real with the release of the new USA/Crave TV series adaptation, whose first episode takes the story of this book and transplants the setting from Guadalupe Mountain National Park in Texas to Glacier National Park in Montana. The series got me good because of how much it throws back to the Blue Sky era on USA Network, but this book is definitely a bite sized bit of darkness in comparison. It definitely has a certain Western eye for detail, especially with certain bits of political commentary about Texans and their conservatism and disdain for big government - some of which still hold up today, despite the right wing becoming the very big government they love to preach against. Unlike the TV series, these books, as I understand it, take place in different parks on each installment, which will be a fun vibe to see - especially since it makes me think of Reacher, but make him a lady ranger instead.

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Review: Coastal Views to Die For

Coastal Views to Die For by Sam Lumley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oliver and Ricky are back for a second travel assignment that turns into a murder mystery, this time set in the fictional Rose Beach on the Oregon coast. While the first book somewhat riffs on Glass Onion by dealing with a stupid and obnoxious tech bro CEO, this book is much more Knives Out as it deals with a toxic family whose secrets are coming out in the will. Additionally, the relationship between Oliver and Ricky develops in unexpected ways, not as sunshine and roses as the book’s cozy vibe would have you expect…but stick with it, and we’ll all be rewarded. This series is definitely one I’ll be following as long as it continues!

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Review: How to Have a Killer Time in D.C.

How to Have a Killer Time in D.C. by Sam Lumley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Here’s a series that’s just right for me: a gay, autistic travel writer based in the Bay Area gets an assignment in DC and becomes an unlikely detective after witnessing a death involving a self driving car. Being set in DC, there’s no shortage of political references, including some veiled jabs in the eye at Trump and his traitorous acts, but also a bit at Elon Musk, lampooned (as it were) by Moonshot Motors CEO Kelso King. Though King more closely resembles Musk’s brother Kimball with his Texas aesthetic (and he’s allegedly the son of an oilman), the faulty EV’s and absolutely obvious lack of critical thinking skills are so Musk, it hurts. But hey, this book gives us a far more positive autistic role model with Oliver Popp (DON’T call him “Ollie”), and his love interest Ricky (aka Tariq) is a very well fleshed out character too. Being biracial, Ricky’s very name is an example of code switching. And unlike the reserved Oliver, he’s gregarious enough to perfectly match his energy in an “opposites attract” way. I’ve already got the sequel coming soon on my TBR too, promising a trip to the lovely Oregon coast…

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Review: Stumptown, vol. 4: The Case of a Cup of Joe

Stumptown, vol. 4: The Case of a Cup of Joe by Greg Rucka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The fourth and (sadly) final volume of Greg Rucka's Stumptown saga is absolutely the most Portland of them all, not least of which because it deals in a Barista Mafia whose members are all trying to outdo one another on the world-class PDX coffee scene. This book, more than either the second or third before it, would've made a terrific episode or arc in the ABC series - and it also makes the strongest case for why there needs to be a full fledged film series adaptation of Stumptown getting all four graphic novels properly adapted and then some. This series, this franchise, does not get enough love in the world, and I should've read these years ago when the ABC show first came out.

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Review: Stumptown, Vol. 3: The Case of the King of Clubs

Stumptown, Vol. 3: The Case of the King of Clubs by Greg Rucka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dex Parios returns with another kickass Stumptown case, this one rooted in the world of Portland soccer and its consistent rivalry with Seattle, represented by the tension between herself and Seattle PI, C.K. Baines. The ongoing storyline with Marenco's men also stands out as the kind of storyline that would've made engaging viewing on the ABC series, even if that series gave much more emphasis to Sue Lynn and her tribal matters. In the event of a film series picking up ABC's slack - and again, I must say, Stumptown reboot when? - that's a difference I hope the eventual film series splits by giving both Marenco and Sue Lynn's crews equivalent screen time.

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