BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Cheryl D. (Angola, NY)

The Look of Love: A Piper Donovan Mystery
by Mary Jane Clark

Pleasant review (12/1/2011)

This book is a pleasant review. The main character decorates cakes, but she gets to travel among the rich and famous while she is doing it. It doesn't seem as the wedding will ever happen. The only weakness I saw was a repetition in the plots of the two books in the series.

The Borgia Betrayal: A Poisoner Mystery Novel
by Sara Poole

The Next Tudors (7/6/2011)

The latest trend in historical fiction seems to be the Borgia family. THE BORGIA BETRAYAL by Sara Poole is a sequel to POISON. I really felt that I needed to have read that before I tackled this one. I was missing some of the facts I needed to read this. I find the family interesting and enjoyed the story here, however. The author does need to work on her voice. I felt, at times, that the characters were much too modern in tone, both their attitudes and the way they expressed themselves.

Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure
by Beth Mcmullen

Impossible to classify (2/16/2011)

This book was an enjoyable read, but it is impossible to fit it into a category. It is a little bit chick lit and somewhat a thriller with a comic edge. I never did figure out whether the heroine was a "good" spy or simply survived through luck. You just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Agent X: A Novel
by Noah Boyd

Suspend all belief (12/22/2010)

I did not read THE BRICKLAYER which was the first book in the series and that may have influenced my opinion here, but I found that the main characters lacked development. They were witty and intelligent, but I didn't feel as though I knew them. They were also able to solve clues and puzzles at a moment's notice. The book was exciting and fast paced, but I was not able to keep up with their findings. Reading is more fun if I can keep up with the story.

Bad Boy: An Inspector Banks Novel
by Peter Robinson

Bad boys can be alluring (7/18/2010)

In this latest entry in the Inspector Banks series, Banks' daughter Tracy finds herself mixed up with a "bad boy". The book is an entertaining police procedural with a personal touch. This was the first of Robinson's books that I have read although I have often heard of him. The book does stand alone, but I felt I missed a great deal by not being more familiar with the characters and their interaction.

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici: A Novel
by C.W. Gortner

A violent, but fascinating era of history (5/16/2010)

I fully enjoyed a look at French history during this period of time. I have read much about the Tudors and Mary, Queen of Scots, but knew little about Catherine de Medici, the house of Guise or the Valois other than the mention of their names in other works. C. W. Gortner has taken a lot of convoluted relationships and handled them very well. The politics, the power struggles and the violence bring the book and this era alive.

Heresy
by S.J. Parris

Well researched historical fiction.... (12/15/2009)

I am fond of historical mysteries. The book Heresy by S. J. Parris is reminiscent of the books of C. J. Sansom (Dissolution, etc.) and was well researched and interesting. It takes place during the reign of Elizabeth I and involves her spymaster Walsingham. There are a series of murders at Oxford University that must be solved by the main character, based on the real life person of Giordano Bruno. The story dragged in a few places where it became a little too scholarly, but it was mostly fast paced and entertaining.

Cleopatra's Daughter
by Michelle Moran

Enjoyable historical novel (9/18/2009)

I find this an interesting era of history, but it is one I know little about. Michelle Moran managed to bring the characters alive for me and sent me to various reference books to do further research. I am aware that conversations and even actions are based on fact but often contain a great deal of conjecture. Moran makes things appear true. I can accept them as being real and that makes this an enjoyable and satisfying read.

The Secret Keeper
by Paul Harris

Split personality (3/17/2009)

The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris is a difficult book to review since my reactions were varied. I knew very little about the historical background in Sierra Leone, and the author's journalistic experience presented this very well. However, the story was told in constantly changing time frames going from 2000 to 2004 and back again. Quite often I had to check the chapter heading to see what year it was because of the similarities. The story is good and the characters fairly interesting, but one has to really work while reading it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows

Sign Me Up. (7/27/2008)

I would love to be a member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. This is a delightful book! The authors are able to develop wonderful characters, convey little known WWII history and demonstrate a love of books and reading through a series of letters and telegrams. There's even a romance. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Seven for a Secret: A John the Eunuch Mystery
by Mary and Eric Mayer Reed

Seven for a Secret (2/8/2008)

Because Seven for a Secret is the next in a series, I originally felt that I had to have read the earlier books to understand the characters, but I soon found that between the writing itself and the Glossary at the end of the book, I was able to enjoy the story.
John, Lord Chamberlain to Justinian 1, attempts to unravel the death of a mysterious woman, but the most interesting part of the book is the interaction with the merchants and denizens of Constantinople. I was fascinated with the historical aspects of the story.

The Critic: The Second of the Enzo Files
by Peter May

Have a glass of wine... (11/10/2007)

In Peter May's second Enzo MacLeod The Critic, the mystery plays second fiddle to the techniques of the wine making industry. Despite two murders and several attempts on the main character's life, the book does not really become intense until the end. It is well written and an enjoyable read, but the early pace is rather slow. This reader was particularly upset by an incident of animal abuse that did not move the story forward. On the other hand, Enzo's attempt to smuggle soil samples on the plane to the US was quite amusing.

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