It’s been a while! Last we spoke it was May and it was cold and gray and miserable in Toronto and I hadn’t been to Winnipeg since February. Now it’s October and it’s cold and gray and miserable in Toronto and I haven’t been to Winnipeg since February. The good news is that Whodunit ships (and you don’t have to be related for that service, although they will charge you for shipping), so I have been getting all my books anyways. What have I been reading? Let’s dive in.
Tasha Alexander has been doing this thing the last few books where there is a plot with Lady Emily and a plot back in time that relates to the case and the chapters go back and forth. In the Shadow of Vesuvius is no different and it is not my favorite, although 14 books in maybe I don’t blame her. The trade paperback is in store now and book #15, The Dark Heart of Florence, will be released in March.
A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn was also not my favorite, but it was still enjoyable and I was glad to have Stoker and Veronica Speedwell resolved in their feelings for one another. The trade paperback is coming in February with book #6, An Unexpected Peril, to follow in March.
I had been putting off reading Charles Finch’s The Vanishing Man because I generally find prequels to be tedious, but with Finch I needn’t have worried and I found it to be delightful. The trade paperback is available with the trade paperback of the second prequel The Last Passenger, which I have not yet read, releasing in January and a new hardcover (An Extravagant Death, book #14) in February.
Likewise, A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones had not been high on my list as I’d lost interest in her Charley Davidson series. Again, I was so wrong, this one was a true delight, with Sunshine Vicram returning to her hometown after mysteriously being voted in as Sherriff. I loved it and I can’t wait for A Good Day for Chardonnay next July. Sadly, you’ll have to wait until March for the trade paperback although the hardcover would be well worth it.
And then a couple of series reads I knew would be solid. Who Speaks for the Damned by C.S. Harris was book #15 but I still keep buying the hardcovers because she has such an excellent combination of thriller, social history, and romance. No announcement of a trade paperback yet, but book #16 in hardcover, What the Devil Knows, will be released in April. Riviera Gold by Laurie R. King, book #16 in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series, has re-employed the two connected storylines plot from The Murder of Mary Russell, but at least this time it was both modern. Still, like Mary Russell, I was relieved when Sherlock showed up. This is one where I am contemplating a reread from the beginning. Book #17, Castle Shade, is to be released next June.
I will confess, I put Peace Talks on hold at the library on digital edition assuming my hardcover would arrive before my hold and when the hold popped up, I couldn’t resist. The book ends on a massive cliff hanger, but wait! After waiting six years you needn’t wait at all because Battle Ground is already available. I suspect it’s the last book in the series and was simply too long to publish as one edition. Still, Peace Talks was well worth waiting for and I was delighted to be back in Harry Dresden’s world. I have ordered my hardcover of Battle Ground to be sent in my next delivery.
I had high hopes for all the reading I would do on my vacation, but in fact I only read one book. Still, The Vinyl Detective: Low Action by Andrew Cartmel was well worthy of my time and a perfection staycation read. Look for a fun Ben Aaronovitch easter egg.
Next you hear from me it will be to announce our books of the year. Spoiler alert: Michael isn’t going to like my choice so far, but I’ll go to the mattresses for it. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to the next Lady Sherlock book with Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas this week.